NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s new finance minister says some of the proposed taxes that led to weeks of deadly protests earlier this year will be reintroduced through a tax amendment bill as the country struggles to find revenue to pay off debts to lenders including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and China.
The announcement by John Mbadi in a local television interview broadcast Sunday has already drawn criticism from some Kenyans whose anger over the rising cost of living had led demonstrators to storm Parliament and pressure President William Ruto to drop a contentious finance bill and fire most of his Cabinet.
But now some of the proposals in that unpopular finance bill are back. Mbadi said the tax amendment bill will include dozens of measures including a tax on goods considered not environmentally friendly.
“This country is not a dumping place,” he said.
Critics had said the tax would increase the cost of goods like sanitary towels and diapers.
Already, the youth-led protest movement has responded to the minister's remarks, saying demonstrations across Kenya will continue. More than 50 people have died since the protests started in mid-June, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, amid accusations of police brutality.
An opposition lawmaker, Robert Mbui, on Monday told a local television station that the plan to reintroduce certain proposals was a “mistake” and accused the new minister of “double speak” after saying earlier this month he had no plans to increase taxes.
Kenya's president had defended the new taxes and warned there would be consequences after withdrawing the previous bill. The IMF, which supports an economic reform program in Kenya, earlier suggested some of the controversial tax changes.
“We are confident that we will be able to find a balanced path forward,” the IMF said after the finance bill was withdrawn.
Protesters also have called for the president’s resignation, but Ruto said he would not do it.
FILE - Protesters block the busy Nairobi - Mombasa highway in the Mlolongo area, Nairobi, Kenya, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, file)
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi and more than 125 are missing as flash floods and landslides take their toll, state media reported Thursday.
Vietnam's VNExpress newspaper reported that 197 people have died and 128 are still missing, while more than 800 have been injured.
In the capital, flood waters from the Red River receded slightly but many areas were still inundated.
In Hanoi's Tay Ho district, people waded through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along one street, some still wearing their bicycle and motorcycle helmets after abandoning their vehicles along the way.
A few paddled along the road in small boats as empty water bottles, a stryofoam cooler and other flotsam drifted by; one man pushed his motorbike toward drier ground in an aluminum sloop.
Pedestrians hiked up their shorts as high as possible to avoid being soaked by the wake caused by a delivery truck powering its way through the water.
Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades. It made landfall Saturday with winds of up to 149 kph (92 mph). Despite weakening on Sunday, downpours continued and rivers remain dangerously high.
The flooding in Hanoi has been reportedly the worst in two decades, and has led to widespread evacuations.
The death toll spiked earlier in the week as a flash flood swept away the entire hamlet of Lang Nu in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai province Tuesday.
Hundreds of rescue personnel worked tirelessly Wednesday to search for survivors, but as of Thursday morning 53 villagers remained missing, VNExpress reported, while seven more bodies were found, bringing the death toll there to 42.
Floods and landslides have caused most of the deaths, many of which have come in the northwestern Lao Cai province, bordering China, where Lang Nu is located. Lao Cai province is also home to the popular trekking destination of Sapa.
On Monday, a bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away by flooding, killing dozens of people.
The steel bridge in Phu Tho province over the engorged Red River collapsed, sending 10 cars and trucks along with two motorbikes into the river. The bus carrying 20 people was swept into a flooded stream by a landslide in mountainous Cao Bang province.
Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are getting stronger due to climate change, as warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel them, leading to higher winds and heavier rainfall.
Rising reported from Bangkok.
Flood triggered by Typhoon Yagi submerges houses in Bac Giang province, Vietnam Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (Le Danh Lam/VNA via AP)
A woman paddles a boat on a flooded street, following Typhoon Yagi in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Huy Han)
A man pushes a stack of plyboards in flood following Typhoon Yagi in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Huy Han)
The iconic Long Bien bridge is seen on flooded Red river, following Typhoon Yagi in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Huy Han)
People look on a submerged dragon structure in a playground, following Typhoon Yagi in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Huy Han)
Mud and debris bury houses in Lang Nu hamlet in Lao Cai province, Vietnam Tuesday, Sep. 10, 2024. (Pham Hong Ninh/VNA via AP)
Vietnam death toll climbs to 197 as typhoon's aftermath brings flash floods and landslides
Vietnam death toll climbs to 197 as typhoon's aftermath brings flash floods and landslides
Rescue workers clear mud and debris brough down by a flood in Lang Nu hamlet in Lao Cai province, Vietnam Tuesday, Sep. 10, 2024. (Pham Hong Ninh/VNA via AP)
