Thursday, June 20, 2024 - Former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has accused President William Ruto of duping Kenyans using bread and diaper taxes.
Speaking during an interview, Kagwe opined that the tax proposals on bread and diapers were a strategy to dupe Kenyans over the Finance Bill 2024.
According to Kagwe, it was strange for Ruto's administration to introduce VAT on bread at a time when Kenyans were suffering.
He added that the addition of the contentious clauses was aimed at causing a public outcry.
The former CS, who served under Former President Uhuru Kenyatta, alleged that Ruto had planned to remove the taxes all along.
According to Kagwe, the contentious taxes were aimed at shifting the attention of Kenyans from other tax proposals in the bill.
"You cannot honestly tell me, that at a time when Kenyans are crying as much as they are, you can say that you will tax bread and diapers.
"Seriously! You expect me to believe this is what you intended to do?
"There is this tendency where you put people in a hole, remove them from the hole and they will praise you," he stated.
Nonetheless, he held the view that Kenyans read into Ruto's scheme as was witnessed through the protests which have been nicknamed the Gen Z protests.
"It did not work. It backfired. Kenyans are not going to praise anybody because you say that you are not going to tax bread.
"There are some other taxes that are still there that need to be looked at and I hope there will be more amendments that will be made," he stated.
After an uproar among Kenyans, the Kenya Kwanza administration dropped its move to tax bread and other items like diapers.
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