The National Assembly is scheduled to debate the controversial Finance Bill 2023 starting today, Thursday, June 8, 2023 a week before Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u reads the 2023/24 Budget on Thursday, June 15.
The Head of State and his Deputy have gone beyond the limits warning MPs who will reject the Bill to forget the development projects in their constituencies. This is despite the fact that parliament should be independent in making its decisions.
This is happening while the government is showing its intention to relax the position by indicating that it will agree to make changes to the bill.
According to the minority leader in the National Assembly, Opiyo Wandayi, Azimio is prepared to ensure that the bill will not be implemented if passed by challenging it in court.
“We have not lacked methods, including presenting cases in court. We also have many stages. This is when protest will be most effective
“I have heard some people say, they are waiting to see the parliamentarians who will vote for the Bill to pass, but I am also waiting to see the parliamentarians who will vote against the Finance Bill which aims to ensure that young people get jobs. I can’t wait to see those who oppose the program that empowers the young people who voted for them,” the president added.
Wandayi pointed out that their move to oppose the Bill in general was due to Ruto threatening MPs who are on his side rejecting the Bill in Parliament saying the president has the authority to instruct MPs on how to vote on any Bill.
“According to the new Constitution, no one outside the Parliament can direct the MPs to vote in a certain way, they have been misled”.
“Any of his orders can only be received through representatives of his party, including the Majority Leader (Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung’wah),” he said.
President William Ruto has been pushing parliamentarians to pass the bill which aims to increase the tax burden on Kenyans and workers to be deducted 3 percent of their salary for the House Construction Fee fund.
The leader of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya alliance, Raila Odinga, has instructed the MPs of the opposition coalition to reject the bill which also aims to increase the VAT tax on fuel from 8 percent to 16 percent.
Political pundits say the debate about the complex bill puts Wetang’ula in the spotlight as was his predecessor Justin Muturi, the Jubilee government pushed for the adoption of complex security laws in 2014.
By Hallan Emodia