Former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has asserted that the tax proposals on bread and diapers in the Finance Bill 2024 were a deliberate strategy to mislead Kenyans.

During an interview on Spice FM, Kagwe remarked that it was unusual for President William Ruto's administration to introduce VAT on bread during a period of economic hardship for many Kenyans. He suggested that these contentious clauses were intentionally included to provoke public outcry.

Kagwe, who served under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, alleged that Ruto had always planned to remove these taxes. He claimed that the controversial taxes were meant to divert attention from other tax proposals in the bill.

"You cannot honestly tell me that at a time when Kenyans are crying as much as they are, you can say that you will tax bread and diapers. Seriously! You expect me to believe this is what you intended to do? There is this tendency where you put people in a hole, remove them from the hole, and they will praise you," Kagwe stated.

However, he noted that Kenyans saw through Ruto's scheme, as evidenced by the widespread protests, popularly referred to as the Gen Z protests.

"It did not work. It backfired. Kenyans are not going to praise anybody because you say that you are not going to tax bread. There are some other taxes that are still there that need to be looked at, and I hope there will be more amendments that will be made," he added.

Following public uproar, the Kenya Kwanza administration decided to drop its plan to tax bread and other items like diapers. This decision was highlighted during the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group meeting at State House.

The amendments were subsequently tabled in Parliament ahead of the MPs' debate on the bill. The bill is set to be debated today and Thursday, with a vote scheduled for next week.