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Azimio la Umoja Coalition has rejected the Finance Bill 2024 in its entirety, saying the proposals in the bill will make life unbearable to Kenyans.

The total rejection of the bill comes amidst heightened protest across the country with calls from youth popularly known as ‘Gen Z’, the church, economists and a section of the political class calling for the withdrawal of the bill.

Yesterday after a meeting at County hall, the opposition leaders led by National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi announced that they had agreed to reject the bill in its entirety.

“We reject this bill in its entirety. We continue to reject this bill. We also stand with other Kenyans in calling for the total rejection of this Finance Bill 2024,” said Wandayi.

The Azimio MPs also agreed that the members who had proposed some amendments to the bill to withdraw them and instead called for a new bill to be drafted and presented afresh.

“There were some of our members who had made some proposals to amend the bill before passage. We have now agreed that the members to withdraw their proposed amendments and reject the bill in its totality,” said Wandayi.

The Finance Bill will this afternoon move to the Third Reading (committee stage) where members are free to move specific amendments to be adopted or rejected.

Many amendments

As at the time of going to press, People Daily could not independently verify how many amendments to the bill had been proposed and lined up for a vote.

Last week during a Parliamentary Group meeting held at State House, the Kenya Kwanza brigade announced that they had listened to the cries of Kenyans and dropped some proposals.

The contentious tax proposals dropped from the Finance Bill, 2024 include 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on bread, Excise duty on vegetable oil, VAT on transportation of sugar, 2.5 per cent Motor Vehicle Tax and Eco Levy on locally manufactured products. These are some of the proposals that are likely to be dropped during the committee stage at the National Assembly.

On Thursday, some 204 MPs voted for bill to sail to the third reading while some 115 members majority aligned to the opposition coalition voted against the bill terming it oppressive.

At the same time the Azimio leaders denounced the current wave of arrests and abduction of individuals calling for the rejection of the proposed tax measures, saying that such moves are only meant to intimidate and create fear among the protestors.

The opposition leaders instead called on the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination and the security apparatus to respect human rights and follow the law in arresting individuals suspected of committing a crime. The leaders charged that abducting and arresting individuals is not only an act of cowardice, but also shows a regime that has panicked.