Kenya’s President is facing heavy backlash from the young generation, with their recent efforts through protests leading to withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024. Despite sparking lots of debate, the proposed tax changes were aimed at changing different sectors in the long run.
The environmental sector is one of the areas that Dr. William Ruto aimed at changing, with his recent efforts in fighting climate change apparent. For instance he’s introduced a tree planting day in Kenya.
Included in the bill were new laws in controlling waste and pollution control. This is through the suggested eco levy tax, planned to supplement the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, adopted two years ago.
The Eco levy was also meant to hold manufacturers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their plastic and electronic products. This is according to global regulations, geared to reducing global warming by the year 2050.
Environmental experts argue it was necessary to help the country curb adverse climate changes. True to that, the country is just recovering from devastating floods, which killed over 400 peoples, and destroyed billions worth of property and infrastructure.
It’s upon the executive, led by President Ruto to go back to the drawing board and sort things out. This includes drafting a bill favorable to the Kenyan economy, citizens, and other sensitive sectors like the environment. To avoid a repeat of the observed protests, corruption loopholes should be addressed and discouraged.
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