The global hacktivist collective Anonymous has fired a warning shot at Kenyan President William Ruto and his government over the proposed Finance Bill 2024.
In a video message posted on their X (formerly Twitter) page with over 5.1 million followers, the notorious hacker group heavily criticized the bill, arguing it will unfairly raise taxes on Kenyan citizens.
“Greetings, Citizens of the world. This is a warning message to William Ruto, the Kenyan Government, and all members of parliament from Anonymous. It has come to our attention that there are discussions in parliament to pass the finance bill, which will unfairly tax the citizens of Kenya,” the ominous video message began.
Widespread Public Opposition to Kenya’s Finance Bill
The Finance Bill 2024 has sparked widespread public opposition and protests across Kenya over proposed tax hikes on essential goods and services.
Among the controversial measures are increased VAT on staples like bread, higher excise duties on fuel, and new taxes on mobile money transactions.
Critics argue these tax increases will pile further financial pressure on the poor and middle class, who are already grappling with a high cost of living crisis exacerbated by inflation and economic hardship.
In their message, Anonymous also condemned the alleged heavy-handed crackdown by Kenyan security forces on peaceful protests against the Finance Bill 2024.
“Kenyan citizens attempting peaceful demonstrations are being unfairly harassed, arrested, and shot at with live bullets by the police force under your command,” the hacker group claimed.
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Ominously, Anonymous revealed that phone numbers belonging to Kenyan members of parliament are circulating online, suggesting potential cyber attacks could be imminent.
“Soon, there will be an uprising of hackers, many of whom may reside in your home country. Your secrets may no longer be safe, and there is a chance that all these secrets will be exposed to show how corrupt and unjust members of this parliament are, embezzling public funds for personal gain,” the chilling message warned.
A History of High-Profile Hacks by Anonymous
The shadowy Anonymous collective is renowned globally for carrying out cyber attacks against governments, corporations and organizations they accuse of corruption, injustice or suppressing free speech.
Some of their most high-profile hacking episodes include targeting major corporations like Sony, PayPal and Visa, as well as federal agencies like the CIA and conventional organizations like the Church of Scientology.
While they have acted against various nations over social justice causes, this appears to be one of Anonymous’ first direct threats against the Kenyan government.
Call for Mass #OccupyParliament Protests on June 20
In their provocative message, Anonymous threw their weight behind calls for mass protests in Kenya to oppose the Finance Bill 2024, declaring:
“On Thursday, the 20th of June, Kenyans will march and #OccupyParliament. We do not want you to amend the Finance Bill; we want you to reject it. Listen to the cries of your citizens, or the people of the world will resist you every step of the way.”
So far, the Kenyan government has not officially responded to the mounting public outcry against the bill or the threats made by Anonymous.
