John Kiarie pens handwritten apology over controversial Finance Bill protest remarks

Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie has issued a public apology for his contentious remarks concerning protests against the Finance Bill 2024.

Kiarie expressed deep regret, describing his comments as "unnecessary, misguided, and insensitive."

He acknowledged that they were made in the heat of the moment during debates on the Finance Bill.

"I deeply regret my utterances. After reflection and also understanding the anger and frustration that exists in our nation, anger that stems from decades of many unresolved but very pertinent and potent national issues," Kiarie wrote in his handwritten apology.

The apology comes in the wake of significant backlash from the public and fellow lawmakers.

During the June 19th debate on the Finance Bill, Kiarie had asserted that the protests held on June 18th were staged.

He told the House, "And the lie persists Mr Speaker because even some of the photos that we were seeing out on the streets I can tell you as a graphic editor, that they do not belong to this country."

Kiarie further argued during the session that certain images circulating were outdated and had been digitally altered to mislead the public.

"Photos were being taken off the internet and being edited and posed as Generation Z. I’m a photo expert Mr Speaker and I can point out photos that were edited to look like they were in the streets of Nairobi but they were not," he added.

I TRULY APOLOGISE for the comments I made regarding the protests and the authenticity of certain images.

In the heat of the moment during the debate on the finance bill, my words were unnecessary, misguided and insensitive. pic.twitter.com/AvvvoRrsao

— John Kj Kiarie (@KiarieJohn) June 24, 2024

In his apology, Kiarie praised the younger generation for their courage in advocating for change through innovative channels, stating, "I appreciate and celebrate the courage and creativity shown by the younger generation in advocating for change through innovative channels and platforms, including social media and other emerging technologies."

Kiarie apologised sincerely for any provocation, hurt, or affront his words may have caused.

"I am sincerely sorry for any provocation, hurt or affront that my words may have caused. I have definitely learnt a lot from this and also from all the active listening I have done since," he concluded.