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Democratic Action Party – Kenya (DAP-K) Leader Eugene Wamalwa has urged Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah to challenge President Ruto over Finance Bill 2024.

Speaking in Busia County, Wamalwa, a former Devolution Cabinet Secretary, called on Senator Okiya Omtatah to take President William Ruto to court over the Finance Bill 2024, which he criticized as being worse than the previous year’s bill.

Wamalwa to Ruto

Wamalwa expressed his concerns about the bill, urging Omtatah to sue to prevent further harm to Kenyans.

“Tunasema hii Finance Bill 2024 ni mbaya zaidi kuliko Finance Bill 2023. Tunataka Omtatah alete matata tena. Peleka huyu Zakayo kortini asiendelee kuumiza Wakenya. (We are saying this Finance Bill 2024 is worse than the Finance Bill 2023. We want Omtatah to cause trouble again. Take this Zakayo to court so he doesn’t continue hurting Kenyans.),” Wamalwa stated.

Senator Omtatah emphasized that taxation should have clear purposes and the government must explain the allocation of the collected taxes.

“Ushuru lazima uwe na sababu. Tuambie unataka kujenga barabara na shilingi kumi na itatoka hapa. Mambo ya kusema unataka shilingi kumi na hutuambii inaenda kufanya nini hatutakubali. (Taxes must have a purpose. Tell us you want to build a road with ten shillings and where it will come from. Saying you want ten shillings without telling us what it will do is something we will not accept.),” Omtatah explained.

Omtatah’s challenge

Last Monday, the High Court certified as urgent a petition by Omtatah challenging the proposed Finance Bill 2024, arguing it violates sections of the Constitution and should be declared illegal and null.

In a brief ruling, Justice Lawrence Mugambi of the Milimani Constitutional and Human Rights High Court found that the lawsuit seeking to suspend the proposed Finance Bill 2024 needs to be heard expeditiously and fixed the case for June 12.

The judge also ordered the National Assembly, Senate, CS Treasury Njuguna Ndung’u, and Attorney General Justin Muturi to file their responses to the lawsuit within 14 days. The lawsuit was filed by Omtatah and activist Eliud Matindi.