Omtatah, Kasmuel McOure to launch campaign for Kenyans to stop paying taxes

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and musician-turned-activist Kasmuel McOure have announced plans to spearhead a nationwide campaign encouraging Kenyans not to pay taxes.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Omtatah condemned Kenya's high taxation rates, indicating that certain government actors are using levies as pre-text to steal from tax-paying citizens.

"We cannot have a government that looks at our problems and sees an opportunity to steal from us. We are going to launch a movement targeting the rampant theft of public resources. We want to go after these thieves. It’s not a war on corruption; it’s a war against the corrupt," said the Busia Senator.

"We are in a country where more than 40% of all taxes are deducted from pay slips. This is not sustainable. We are going to run a campaign to stop Kenyans from paying. The Gen Z uprising wasn’t defeated, and this fight isn’t over."

His sentiments were echoed by Booker Omolo, Chairman of the National Coordination Committee of the People’s Assembly, who emphasized that social justice groups will not sit idly by and allow Kenya to deteriorate under President William Ruto's leadership.

"We are a coalition of more than 57 political parties and social justice groups. The People's Assembly was born in the streets of Nairobi during the Gen Z protests. We are now moving forward to address the issues affecting the Kenyan people, as the Kenya Kwanza government is beyond reform," he said.

Omtatah similarly chimed in on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's ongoing impeachment motion, stating that President Ruto's leadership is far more damaging to Kenya than the alleged infractions with the country’s second-in-command.

"I don't find merit in impeaching a pick-pocket and leaving an armed robber free. He (Ruto) is armed; he is a robber and he is stealing from us. He is running a government of thieves and those who try to complain like the Gen Z are gunned down ...so he is an armed robber," said Omtatah.

"Why impeach a pickpocket like Gachagua and leave an armed robber called William Ruto to rob and kill Kenyans? In my capacity as a Senator, I will wait and weigh the evidence and law. With a well-formed conscience, I will take my vote."  

On his part, McOure tore into the Tuesday roll out of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), slamming the medical scheme which he said will not benefit Kenyans.

"We've seen the government kill its people, now it has gone to sodomising its young men and now it wants to ensure that your health is also out of the question so that we are completely crippled. I want to talk about the issue of SHIF that is about to blow," he said.

"We need to understand very clearly because they forcefully migrated us; I didn't migrate...but I have received that message in my phone. We have to rally and hold this government accountable."