Why IMF, World Bank hand in Kenya budget faces pushback

Among the many placards on display in the streets of Nairobi last June when Kenyans protested against the Finance Bill, 2024 were a few unpalatable ones targeted at the international Monetary Fund (IMF).

It was an indication of the citizens’ anger towards the measures proposed by the IMF in 2021 and were now being cascaded down to Kenyans over time, and particularly the global lender’s hand in crafting of last year’s Finance Bill that tried to raise the cost of many items, including essentials.