Raila Odinga’s Bold Threat: Protests to Resume in 2024

Raila Odinga, the principal of Azimio la Umoja and a veteran opposition leader, has declared that protests will resume in 2024.
During his announcement on Saturday, December 30, 2023, Odinga criticized the government for raising taxes and, in his words, being indifferent to the suffering of Kenyans.
Odinga stated, “In this government, you thought that the ‘hustlers’ would hear you. We found out that they were just words. Kenyans felt bad about the situation in 2023.”
He gave the government a deadline to withdraw the taxes, which included the Finance Act 2023, failing which the demonstrations would pick back up.
Odinga said, “We told them not to increase taxes but they went ahead and raised the taxes, worsening the situation. These taxes must be revoked, the Finance Act must be removed. If they don’t, we will return to the streets in 2024.”
Odinga’s tough talk is the most recent evidence that the National Dialogue Committee fell short of producing a comprehensive plan to lower the high cost of living, which resulted in several Azimio la Umoja principals dismissing it outright.
One of the first people to comment on the report was Martha Karua, the leader of NARC Kenya, in a series of tweets.
“I find the NADCO report troubling, problematic and unacceptable. A more detailed statement loading in the coming week,” Karua noted after the findings were made public.

“Any purported agreement that does not immediately impact on the cost of living, electoral justice and respect for multiparty democracy is a fraud on the people and must be rejected,” Karua wrote on social media on the same day that the report was released to the public on November 25.
President William Ruto welcomed the report, praising the committee for carrying out its mandate and noting that cooperation is still needed to move Kenya forward.
Ruto stated, “You’ve heard that those in charge of the Dialogue are done with that work, and we applaud them of finishing that task, now let us join hands and take Kenya forward.”
Important matters pertaining to lowering the cost of living were not settled upon by the committee.
Among them was the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party’s proposal to lower the cost of living by lowering the fuel VAT from 16% to 8%.