Finance bill advances to Third Reading as critics vow to fight on

The 2024 Finance Bill will now go to the Third Reading after MPs endorsed the Finance committee’s report, even as young people staged daylong street protests in parts of Kenya.

Some 204 MPs voted for the bill, while 115 rejected the controversial bill, which will be voted on next Tuesday. There were no abstentions.

A total of 319 members were in the chamber, meaning that 30 MPs were absent during the vote. The National Assembly has 349 members.

At the Third Reading, amendments to the bill will be moved and the whole House will take a vote on each of the clauses.

The House will then take a final vote on whether to approve or reject the bill.

After losing the vote, Opposition MPs stormed out of the chamber, chanting anti-government slogans before addressing the media.

They vowed to soldier on with their demands for the the whole bill to be rejected, saying it has some clauses that introduce punitive taxes.

“We will be challenging this bill in and outside Parliament. No amount of intimidation, coercion or threats will cow us,” said Minority Whip Junet Mohamed.

Earlier, Speaker Moses Wetang’ula defended Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u following his public warning about expenditure cuts if MPs reject the bill.

Wetang’ula was responding to Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, who had accused Ndung’u of manipulating MPs to vote against their will.

Wandayi had asked the Speaker to rule the CS out of order, saying the letter was unconstitutional and that Ndung’u had violated the separation of powers.

Wetangu’ula said the Treasury’s advisory was just a reminder to members of the repercussions of their rejecting the bill.

“I don’t view it as a directive in the manner argued by the leader of the minority,” ruled Wetang’ula.

Treasury, he added, had only urged Parliament to factor in this increased expenditure when considering the ways and means of financing the approved supply.

“In the letter, the CS reminds the House of the recent increase made to the expenditure estimates when the House considered the supply measures,” Wetang’ula said.

“In its decision-making, the House is only bound by the Constitution and the law. The ultimate decision lies with the House.”