NAIROBI – The Kenyan government plans to raise about $1.2 billion by reinstating some unpopular taxes contained in a finance bill that was scrapped in the face of deadly street protests, a government minister said.
Kenya’s finance minister, John Mbadu, disclosed that the government was considering approximately 49 tax measures to raise about 150 billion shillings ($1.2 billion).
President William Ruto had warned of a funding shortfall after he decided in June to drop the controversial tax hikes after a bloody day in Nairobi that saw the storming of parliament and police firing live bullets on demonstrators.
Mr Ruto’s government also expanded the cabinet to include opposition leaders in an effort to address protesters’ concerns.
The deadly protests led to government spending cuts and increased borrowing to cover the budget gap.
The new tax measures were expected to be implemented by the end of September.