The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has called for the complete overhaul of the controversial Finance Bill 2024/25 since a majority of Kenyans have openly rejected it through various platforms.
Speaking in Machakos Town, NCCK Lower Eastern Region Chairman Festus Malua, cited the profound concerns echoing across the nation regarding the contentious Bill whose second reading was approved by MPs on Thursday.
“We challenge the Parliament and Executive to listen to the People. We call for a complete overhaul of the bill so that it inspires hope among the People,” said Malua.
“It is important for all the elected leaders to remember the warning of God in Isaiah 10:1-3… which says ‘woe unto you that make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressing decrees to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold the justice from the oppress of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless’.”
Malua likewise urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to swiftly investigate and take appropriate action against police officers using excessive force to disperse youthful protesters during the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
IPOA launched investigations into police misconduct during the demos on Friday following the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Rex Kanyike Masai by police in Nairobi.
In a statement on X, IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori, while condoling with the family of the deceased, highlighted that the state agency had been monitoring police conduct since the onset of the protests on Tuesday.
She further expressed that during the demonstrations, both protestors and police largely showed restraint but highlighted specific incidents such as the case of Masai and injuries sustained by other protesters during the demonstrations.
