The National Assembly has rejected the Finance Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 30 of 2024) in its entirety by deleting all clauses during a Committee of the Whole House session on Thursday, July 25.

Members voted in agreement with the President’s reservations and the recommendation to delete all clauses of the Finance Bill, 2024.

National Assembly message

Consequently, there is no Bill for the Speaker to present to the President for assent. To complete the process contemplated under Article 115 of the Constitution, Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula will convey the decision made by the House to President William Ruto.

“This guidance relates to the just concluded business, which is the agreement with the Report of the Committee of the Whole House on the consideration of the President’s Reservations to the Finance Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 30 of 2024).

“Honourable Members, as you are aware, the House has voted in agreement with the President’s Reservations and the recommendation to delete all the Clauses of the Finance Bill, 2024. Following this decision, the Bill has been reflected in its entirety,” a communique by Wetang’ula reads.

“In this regard, Honourable Members, there is no Bill for the Speaker to present to H.E. the President for assent. To complete the process contemplated under Article 115 of the Constitution, I will simply convey today’s decision of the House to His Excellency the President,” he concluded.

The voting deletion comes after Speaker Wetang’ula, on Wednesday, July 24, guided the House on the referral of the Finance Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 30 of 2024) by President Ruto.

Wetang’ula clarified that the President’s decision to refer the Finance Bill, 2024 back to the House for reconsideration is within constitutional provisions.

The Speaker also added that Standing Order 42(2) provides that if a message is received from the President at a time when the House is not in session, the Speaker shall forthwith cause the message to be transmitted to every Member and report the message to the House on the day the House next sits.

Speaker’s clarification

Speaker Wetang’ula also addressed concerns regarding the possibility of the Finance Bill, 2024 becoming law due to the effluxion of time, stating that such concerns are unfounded and a misinterpretation of the Constitution.

For context, Article 115(1) of the Constitution provides that “Article 115. (1) Within fourteen days after receipt of a Bill, the President shall assent to the Bill; or refer the Bill back to Parliament for reconsideration by Parliament, noting any reservations that the President has concerning the Bill.”

He clarified that the 14-day period stipulated in Article 115 of the Constitution applies to the President’s actions and is not a deadline for the Bill to become law.