By REUTERS

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Nairobi residents reacted with skepticism after Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday (June 26) withdrew planned tax hikes, bowing to pressure from protesters who had stormed parliament, launched demonstrations across the country and threatened more action this week.

"[Ruto] didn’t have a choice, he withdrew the bill because he knew that there is a revolution coming in this country. People were saying, if you pass the bill you go home ... So the reason why he withdrew the bill is because he saw too much public pressure that he cannot pass that bill," said political activist Boniface Mwangi, who recently had gone into hiding for fear of persecution by the government due to his activism.

The move will be seen as a major victory for a week-old, youth-led protest movement that grew from online condemnations of tax rises into mass rallies demanding a political overhaul, in the most serious crisis of Ruto's two-year-old presidency.

But some demonstrators said that despite Ruto's climbdown they would go ahead with a rally planned for Thursday (June 27), with many reiterating demands that he resign.

Ruto announced he would not sign a finance bill including the tax increases, a day after violent clashes between police and protesters at the assembly and nationwide left at least 23 people dead and scores wounded, according to medics.