Kenya dey ready for di latest set of opposition protests against di increasing price of everytin including tax.
So far, di protest don turn violent and at least 24 pipo don die from am for some months now.
During last year presidential election, James Wainaina, taxi driver wey dey live for di kontri capital, Nairobi, vote for William Ruto, wey bin package im sef during election as di candidate of wetin im call di “hustler nation” – ordinary pipo wey dey struggle to make ends meet.
But now Wainaina dey feel say Ruto betray am and im dey support di protests.
Since President Ruto enta office, price of tins just dey rise dey go, and im goment dey raise tax.
Ruto say dem need extra money to fit pay debt wey di kontri dey owe and also to fit do new projects wey go create job, but di tax don make life even harder for di poorest Kenyans.
Wainaina daughter wey dey secondary school don dey house now for three weeks becos im no fit to pay her 14,000-shilling ($100; £75) school fees.
Wainaina say im business don drop drop sake of cost-of-living over high inflation.
Im dey get few customers now and nearly all di money wey im dey make na just to keep make sure say im motor fit dey road.
Five years ago, im bin dey make reach 4,000 shillings a day, enough to cover all di small small tins wey im need, including school fees, im tok.
E lament say now, sometimes im dey go home wit just 500 shillings afta expenses and dis “no dey enough to fuel di car di next day”.
“E dey very difficult for us,” im tok. Di goment, e add, no dey make am easy for small business, especially di “hustlers” .
Wainaina say dem lie to dem.
“E no be like tins go beta, you see [di president] lie to us, dem dey oppress us, tins dey dey more difficult. Wen di cost of fuel go up, price of everytin go go up, even electricity. Tins dey become worse.”
Even di pipo wey still dey support di goment dey show “some level of unhappiness wit how tins dey now”, according to di latest research by one local polling firm, Tifa.
Di research show say 56% of Kenya pipo tink say di kontri dey carry dem go wia dem no know, dis na increase from 48% for March.
Di research also suggest say dis lack of satisfaction fit dey ginger support for di opposition protests.
Goment informate show say di price of some common food stuff don rise seriously inside 12 months to June wit maize, wheat and flour – increasing up to 30%, rice and potatoes nearly 20% and sugar cost nearly 60% more.
Even so, for di finance bill wey come into law on 1 July, the goment double value-added tax on products from fuel from 8% to 16%, come introduce 1.5% housing levy on workers basic pay, while dia employers go also pay di same amount.
Di levy, goment suppose use am to build house for pipo wey no fit afford am, plus create jobs.
Apart from dat, dem also triple tax on wetin traders sell (Turnover Tax) to 3% for small businesses, and dem raise income tax for workers wey dey collect high salary from 30% to a maximum of 35%.
Ruto goment defend di new tax dem – wey court don temporarily suspend – as necessary sake of di kontri high debts.
Dem accuse former goment say dem heavily add to di kontri debt by spending plenty money on infrastructure wey no help di ordinary Kenya pipo.
Ruto na deputy president bifor for di former goment, but im remove im sef from am afta kasala burst between im and di den President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Im and im goment tell Kenya pipo say di tax wey dem dey pay na short time “sacrifice” for di future of di kontri.
But dis kain tin no convince dem at all. So also Edwin Simiyu, one boda boda (keke) rider for Kiambu town near di capital regret say im vote for di Ruto goment.
“[Di president] say make we give am one year den we go see beta change. Now wey im don enta, im change mouth, come say make we wait for years before tins go beta. We dey suffer, dem betray us kpatakpata, dem don forget us,” im tok.
Di kasala wey dey happun for Kenya now na sake of di “sense of contradiction” between di “hustler tok” about reducing cost of living wey dem bin sell for election campaign and di “reality wia we dey see tax dey increase for everyday market”, according to Ken Gichinga, chief economist for business consulting company, Mentoria Economics.
Im say instead of to focus on consumption tax wey dey make cost of living go high, goment suppose do more to ginger private-sector to grow.
Im argue say, di goment housing project wey dem dey pay for wit di new levy, no go fit to solve house or unemployment wahala.
“Lower interest rates, lower tax, and easier laws. Do dis na three tins and di whole economy go fit create jobs. Let di free market work.”
But, economic analyst Odhiambo Ramogi say im dey convince say di president intention pure – though di methods “dey wrong”.
E say make goment first cut waste before e ask ordinary Kenya pipo to pay more.
Goment accept dis point – David Ndii, na chief economic adviser, im accept for Twitter say goment dey “wasteful”.
Ndindi Nyoro, chairman of parliamentary budget committee, tell BBC say goment tax plan to make sure say goment no dey dig bigger debt hole by borrowing more.
Im say di focus bin be to create balance wey go make sure say “Kenya pipo go follow bake di national cake”.
But more and more Kenya pipo no tink say dis dey work and dem do ent street to make dia point.
