NAIROBI, Kenya — The Global Peace Leadership Conference Africa 2024 (GPLC), organized by the U.S.-based non-profit Global Peace Foundation (GPF), successfully concluded its Kenyan leg, Thursday, addressing the widespread public outcry against Kenya’s proposed finance bill.

Held under the theme “One Family under God: Empowering African Renaissance as a Global Catalyst for Freedom, Peace, and Sustainable Development,” the conference took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi’s Upper Hill, with Kenyan President William Ruto scheduled to attend alongside religious leaders and global dignitaries.

However, prior to its commencement, the conference was overshadowed by violent protests at the Kenyan Parliament, Tuesday, where citizens demonstrated against the proposed Finance Bill 2024. The bill, which aimed to generate an additional $2.7 billion in revenue 추천 through new levies on basic commodities such as bread, vegetable oil and sugar, along with a new motor vehicle circulation tax, led to the deaths of at least 23 civilians during the protests, as reported by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

Against this backdrop, the GPLC urgently canceled its opening ceremony and the main plenary slated for Wednesday morning.