As the country is on the verge of economic growth, there is an uproar over the ongoing countrywide demonstrations over the punitive finance bill recommendations, igniting fireworks across the nation right from parliament.
As a section of coastal region MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the finance bill, Azimio La Umoja legislators have raised unrest over the finance bill, saying it’s a punitive measure to close down the country’s expectations to grow.
Mombasa Woman MP Zamzam Mohamed revealed that the Finance Bill 2024 has sneaked in the price hike of the X-ray machines through a backdoor, saying it’s a corrupt funding scheme.
“That radiology and X-ray equipment will be heavily taxed; the finance bill’s page 592, article 43, highlights this under the heading “Cancer patients.” Sadly, the patients will pay highly, and we ask for the removal of that section. This finance bill is all about financing corruption where over 1 trillion cannot be accounted for.” Zamzam quotes.
Zamzam added, “Whatever you’re doing will get into your generation, and it shall eat you more than how it will hit us, and the removal of fuel and bread was a strategy to cool the hit, it will not be as usual as you may think under the Kenya Kwanza regime.”
Mishi said, “Kenyans are tired and poor with this government, you’ve done zero implementations on the finance bill of 2023, and now here you come with a punitive 2024 finance bill, so you want us to be like Dubai, we are still developing, and you need t give us a break, the country is tired.”
Mombasa County legislators have expressed their profound outrage over the tear-gassing incident at Coast Girls School during the recent nationwide protests, characterizing the action as a reprehensible act of cowardice, calling for an immediate investigation into the conduct of the involved police officers and the imposition of appropriate disciplinary measures.
“We call upon the investigation of those police involved in the lobbing of teargas into a school, demonstrations and picketing are constitutional rights and the government should stand its ground to listen to the voice of the people at all times,” Mishi Mboko said.
Leading the condemnation, the MPs emphasized the incident’s seriousness, its unacceptable nature, and the pressing need for accountability. They also emphasized that such actions not only jeopardize students’ safety and well-being but also reveal a concerning contempt for human rights and the rule of law.
“The deployment of tear gas within the confines of an educational institution, where young girls were present, is an egregious violation of their safety and dignity,” Chimba stated.
Zamzam, on her side, said, “This act not only reflects poorly on the integrity of our law enforcement agencies but also poses serious questions about their operational protocols during public demonstrations.”
Mboko, however, stressed the importance of protecting educational spaces from the volatility of political unrest.
“Schools should be sanctuaries of learning, not battlegrounds for political agendas. The incident at Coast Girls School is a stark reminder of the urgent need for reform in how security forces engage with civilians during protests,” she asserted.
Kisauni, a legislator and former GSU officer, added, “We call for a collective and thorough investigation into the incident, that those responsible be held accountable and the police officers involved be subjected to stringent disciplinary actions to prevent future occurrences and save the integrity of the nation’s law enforcement institutions.”
Mvita Mp, Mohamed Soud Machele, said, “The act created tension for the young girls and our children have been hospitalized We call every parent whose child was involved in that incident to record a statement in police and we shall take the matter as legislators to bring sanity in these institutions.”
This incident has ignited a broader discourse on the necessity of safeguarding educational environments from the collateral impacts of civil unrest and ensuring that law enforcement agencies adhere to the principles of proportionality and respect for human rights.
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