Walk To Work, Don't Pay Taxes- Raila To Kenyans In Resolutions Against Ruto
In a statement he read during the rally, Raila urged Kenyans to deny Ruto the freedom of paying taxes to the government.
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Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga, during the Kamukunji Rally on Tuesday, June 27, called for civil disobedience as part of a list of resolutions to counter President William Ruto who ignored their demands over the Finance Bill 2023.
In a statement he read during the rally, Raila urged Kenyans to deny Ruto the freedom of paying taxes to the government.
"We will adopt a series of acts of civil disobedience to force this regime to recognise that we, the people are supreme. Through civil disobedience, we will deny Ruto the taxes he thinks he can extort from us by force," he said.
To begin, the former Prime Minister urged Kenyans to embrace tax boycotts by stripping President Ruto of the fuel tax through methods to reduce fuel consumption, including carpooling in journeys.
Raila Odinga's reception from his supporters after arriving at Kamukunji grounds on June 27, 2023. /YOUTUBE
He also urged them to embrace walking more often than driving and reducing unnecessary travel, urging all employers to give their employees time to walk to work and back home every weekday.
"Let us embrace tax boycotts. Let us deny Ruto the fuel tax by limiting the consumption of petrol and diesel, one way to do this is to carpool. Let us arrange to make regular journeys in a single vehicle whenever possible, and give each other a ride.
"Cut down on non-essential travel. Walk instead of driving whenever possible. I appeal to all employers to allow their workers time to walk to and from work," he added.
Double Capacity In Matatus
Raila also urged matatu owners to increase the carrying capacity of their vehicles by two times and for police to allow them to do so.
"I appeal to matatu owners to support tax boycotts. While observing safety measures, maintain the current fare by doubling the carrying capacity as part of the civil disobedience. Our police officers should support our call by allowing matatus to carry above capacity at current costs so that Kenyans can commute," he continued.
Businesses To Ignore Electronic Tax, Motorists To Block Govt Vehicles
The Azimio leader also encouraged businesses to disable or abort electronic tax registers.
“Make nil returns on VAT and instead give discounts to customers. This way we shall recover the VAT Ruto is taking illegally,” he added.
He also instructed motorists to refuse to give government vehicles the right of way, stating that only ambulances should be exempted from normal traffic rules.
“Mr Ruto is driving us off the roads with high fuel prices we must deny his officers the comfort of driving us off the road with their vehicles let us deny the government vehicles the right of way that they take for granted they may sound the sirens as they wish but everyone must follow the traffic except for ambulances,” said Raila.
Kenyans On Twitter & Musicians
The former Prime Minister also tapped into the online space and urged Kenyans on Twitter and TikTok to join him in fighting the Kenya Kwanza government, an appeal he also replicated to Kenyan musicians.
"Today, with absolute respect and humility. I am reaching out to the online community in the country and the diaspora. The famous Kenyans on Twitter, content creators, and Tiktokers I have a request to you, let us gather and share information about the traitors.
"Let us compose songs that will be a source of pain to our traitors until they learn to respect the people," he went on.
Saba Saba Declaration
Raila, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja coalition, declared a protest that will begin on Saba Saba Day, Friday, July 7, in response to the government's refusal to meet his demands over the Finance Bill. Saba Saba Day is a significant date in Kenyan history, as it marks the day in 1990 when Kenyans took to the streets to demand multiparty democracy.
Raila is urging Kenyans to once again take to the streets on Saba Saba Day to demand electoral reforms and to protest against a number of issues including the alleged stolen 2022 election victory.
"We the people will convene for a major declaration on the Saba Saba Day on Friday, June 7, 2023. At the event, we will announce a number of strategies that will cripple Ruto's regime," Azimio declared in a statement read by Democratic Action Party (DAP) Kenya Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa.
Collecting Signatures
The coalition also announced that it resolved to “embark on a mass signature collection to signal the withdrawal of our sovereignty from officials of this illegitimate regime including Mr William Ruto and all elected leaders who supported the Finance Bill 2023."
According to the opposing coalition, it will collect signatures from at least 1 million Kenyans who support self-determination. Raila noted that, if successful, they will then submit the signatures to local and international bodies, which will then decide whether or not to grant them their wish.
Azimio argued that self-determination is the right of a people to freely determine their own political status and to pursue their own economic, social, and cultural development.
Former Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa noted that self-determination is a fundamental human right that is enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
The coalition further resolved to join hands with civil society groups to liberate the country from the Kenya Kwanza regime.
"We the people recognize and appreciate the efforts that members of civil society and all progressive forces in our republic are making to free Kenya from the despotic Kenya Kwanza administration and we will pursue collaboration and joining of forces for the sake of our nation," added Azimio.
Respect For the Media
Azimio la Umoja asked President Ruto's government to respect the media, citing the increased attacks on journalists and media houses in Kenya which the coalition had expressed concern.
"We the people reject the Ruto regime's blatant disdain for the media. We recognise the role of the media in society. It is ethically wrong for Ruto's regime to treat the media with disdain," stated Azimio.
However, President Ruto has been on record denying cases of harassment of journalists, despite concerns raised on the same by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG), among others.
