Kenya’s President William Ruto, on Friday in Nairobi, yielded to nationwide protests by scrapping the budget for the offices of Kenya’s first and second ladies.
The President, in a live broadcast, also dissolved 47 agencies, suspending non-essential travels for officials.
Mr Ruto said “The number of advisors in government is hereby reduced by 50% immediately.
“The operations of the office of the first lady, second lady and the wife of the prime cabinet will be removed.”
According to the Kenyan president, all non-essential travel by state and public officers “is hereby suspended,” and “no state officer or public servant will participate in harambee.”
“In keeping up with the austerity measures we promised, 47 State corporations with overlapping and duplicating functions to be dissolved and affected staff to be transferred to other ministries,” Ruto added.
It could be recalled that for three straight weeks since June 18, protesters have marched on the streets of Kenya, disrupting commercial activities against the Finance Bill.
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The protests took a deadly trajectory as protesters occupied the parliament, defying police’s teargas, water cannons and live bullets.
Footages of police opening live rounds on protesters, live bullet shells, and corpses of protesters flood the internet from Kenya, sparking global outrage against Mr Ruto, who, last Wednesday, announced the withdrawal of the bill.
Amnesty International had accused Mr Ruto of deploying snipers to shoot down protesters, calling for his trial at the International Criminal Court.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported that 39 were killed, hundreds injured, and over 30 enforced disappearances were recorded while lamenting police used “excessive and disproportionate force” on protesters.
Governor of Migori County, Ochillo Ayacko, had also condemned Kenyan police for using brute force against anti-Finance Bill protesters, shooting them in the back as they fled.
However, Mr Ruto, in an interview with journalists on Sunday night, said there was no blood on his hands in pushback against criticisms that he watched police kill protesters before withdrawing the controversial bill.
Earlier, Kenyan authorities declared some anti-Finance bill protesters wanted as the protests run into its third week.
