The Kenya Finance Bill protests, widely known as #RejectFinanceBill2024, or Gen Z protests, were a series of decentralized mass protests in Kenya against tax increases proposed by the Government of Kenya in the Finance Bill 2024. Following the storming of the Kenyan Parliament, president William Ruto reportedly rejected the Bill on 28 June; signed into law the "Appropriations Bill 2024" to address the budget shortfall caused by the rejection. Nonetheless, protests escalated into riots on 2 July, as demonstrators demanded Ruto's resignation.
In May 2024, the proposed tax increases were heavily criticized by younger Kenyans who spearheaded the protests. They mobilized using social media platforms like X, TikTok, and Instagram. Young activists circulated calls to action, translated the bill into several local languages, used the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to answer questions about the bill, and leaked the phone numbers of political leaders allowing protesters to spam them with SMS and WhatsApp messages. This move was first popularized by Twitter influencer Amerix
Peaceful protests began on 18 June in Nairobi, spreading to other parts of the country, leading to widely condemned arrests. On 18 June, the Kenyan Parliament amended the bill, removing some controversial clauses. However, the bill was nonetheless passed the next day, leading to nationwide protests and heavy clashes with security forces. On 25 June protesters stormed the Parliament buildings, leading to clashes with police that resulted in at least 22 deaths and numerous injuries. Human Rights Watch accused Kenyan security services of abducting, torturing and extrajudicially executing citizens believed to be leaders of antigovernment protests.
On 26 June, President Ruto held a press conference and decided to withhold the signing of the bill due to its unpopularity.
There have been reports of the alleged participation of Ugandese units in the repression of the protests by various individuals within the protesters side.
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