Raila: We must stop now

By Peter Ochieng

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has announced various measures aimed at 'punishing' president William Ruto's administration.

Odinga, speaking at the historic Kamkunji grounds on Nairobi on his return from abroad, said Ruto must be stopped now, a day after signing the controversial finance bill, 2023 into law.

"Ruto is testing the limits of his illegitimate power; he is testing whether we still have the will, energy and resolve to fight remnants of dictatorship. He still thinks that he can steal anything and get away with it. We have to stop Ruto and we have to do it now," said the ODM party boss.

The finance act which takes effect on 1st July, 2023 will see fuel prices rise more, because of the increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products, from 8 to 16 per cent.

Odinga urged his supporters to boycourt paying of taxes and walking to work instead of driving, as some of the measures aimed at denying the Ruto-Gachagua administration revenue.

"We encourage our people to walk to work instead of driving, same to car owners in order to escape the high cost of fuel. The police should also allow matatus to carry excess passengers. We must deny Ruto the fuel tax by limiting the consumption of petrol and diesel."

"We the people are supreme, through civil disobedience we will deny Ruto the taxes he thinks he can extort from us by force. Let us embrace tax boycotts," added Odinga.

He called on Kenyans to turn out in large numbers from Friday next week, and boycott the Ruto administration.

Azimio leaders similarly declared that they will not return to the negotiation table for bipartisan talks, despite calls to do so by their Kenya Kwanza counterparts.