Friday December 16, 2022 – Bar owners in Kirinyaga poured to the streets yesterday to demonstrate against extortion by President William Ruto’s Government.
This follows a directive by Governor Ann Waiguru that her administration will close down operations of all bars that defaulted in payment of tax arrears amounting to over Ksh100 million.
While conducting a protest in Kirinyaga County, the bar owners argued that they could not afford to pay the accumulated bills amounting to millions.
They appealed to Ruto and Waiguru to allow them to keep their businesses open despite a looming closure of their operations.
“We are hustlers in a hustler country.”
“I am a Kenyan speaking on behalf of other Kenyans, we don’t have the money we are being asked to pay, “ one of the bar owners lamented.
The bar owners stated that the County Government had given the notice to close 3,000 bars in mid – December 2022.
“We have been told that all 3,000 bars are going to be closed (mid-December),” a bar owner stated during the protest.
A section of the protestors, however, demanded that all cases in court concerning the issuing of licenses to bar owners in Kirinyaga be heard before they are ordered to pay their arrears.
“We have a case in court.”
“We respect the high court in Kenya and the law.”
“We have not refused to pay but we will only do so when ordered by the court,” one of the protestors stated.
The protestors called on Governor Waiguru for peaceful talks, failure to which they will continue with their demonstrations.
“If she wants to talk, we will talk.”
“If she does not listen we will continue our demonstrations,” one of the bar owners echoed.
The bar owners lamented that they would lose their only source of livelihood for their families.
“We are not experts in other businesses and do not want to start looking for employment elsewhere,” stated the protestors.
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