The Impact of Public Pressure

On June 25, 2024, the youth marched with the intention of occupying Parliament to urge members to reject the Bill. Despite facing a harsh police crackdown, the movement persisted with hashtags #REJECT NOT AMEND and #RUTO MUST GO. International attention was drawn to Kenya’s protests, with over 4 million posts under #REJECTFINANCEBILL2024 on social media. On June 26, 2024, President William Ruto succumbed to public pressure and declined to assent to the Bill, recommending its deletion. He announced several measures to reduce government spending and invited Gen-Z for a dialogue on social media, marking a significant moment of communication between the government and the public.