Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta conceded that the 16% VAT imposed on petroleum products was hurting Kenyans and offered to take a fifty per cent cut on the levy.
He rejected the Finance Bill 2018 passed by MPs sending it back to the National Assembly with five other recommendations that have rattled legislators from across the political divide.
This week, the spirit of the handshake which the Head of State has enjoyed since March to muscle support from opposition parliamentarians shall face a great test in the Tuesday special sitting.
Several MPs have vowed to revolt against the president demanding that the recommended 8% VAT on petroleum tax is shot down or struck out completely.
The lawmakers argue that there are several areas that could be subjected to budgetary cuts to help raise the Ksh35 Billion that the Treasury is seeking to milk from taxpayers through the fuel levy.
In the president's recommendations, he wants a reduction on the Ksh8 Billion that had been set aside for the construction of roads destroyed by floods across all constituencies.
Kenyatta also wants the MPs to give the Treasury a go-ahead to reduce Kshs3.8 Billion that had been budgeted for helping marginalized counties to develop.
The Head of State also intends to take back a large portion of the Ksh5 Billion that had been allocated to Parliament to run various functions within this financial year.
The Treasury has also asked Parliament to approve reconsidering the Ksh1 Billion that had been slotted in this year's budget as a subsidy for provision of cheap LPG gas.
Veteran parliamentary budgetary allocations committee member Richard Onyonka says the house leadership will face a rough time managing their party members.
"Whether they will have parliamentary group meetings or not, that shall be inconsequential. Members have decided that we do not want the VAT. We need several cuts even the ones that affect us, it is a common position we are going to take," says Onyonka.
The Kitutu Chache MP argued that "truth is, hardly does parliament look through the budget item after another before passing it. We want them to leave the money for women representatives alone. Do not touch the CDF allocations, we are going to be by-partisan this time."
The President is also eyeing to cut the Ksh2.6 Billion meant for the rural electrification and the last mile project.
