Hours after eight people died protesting the passage of Kenya’s 2024 Finance bill, President William Ruto addressed the public, talking tough and denouncing “today’s treasonous events.”

It is the President’s first address to the nation since protests began against a tax bill that proposed a second round of taxes in just under a year.

Despite the opposition to the bill, it passed the committee stage today and will be sent to Ruto for assent.

The vote to move the bill forward incensed an already angry crowd, leading to the breach of police lines and the parliament. Police fired live rounds at protesters, killing eight.

“I hereby put on notice the planners, orchestrators, and financiers of anarchy that the security established to secure our sovereignty will be deployed to restore normalcy,” Ruto said.

In a speech that denounced the attacks as sponsored by elements of terror, Ruto said repeatedly that all security organs had been deployed to restore calm.

It felt like a missed moment for the Ruto presidency which has largely been accused of being tone deaf. It has missed the opportunity to engage with a young population driving the protest and gas turned deaf eyes to concerns over an increasing tax burden.

By doubling down on regime security instead of engaging, Ruto will further alienate Kenyans who are adamant that the Finance bill should not be passed.