The National Assembly was forced to adjourn the Wednesday, November 6, morning session after Members of Parliament failed to show up to deliberate on business scheduled for the session.
Reports by the Daily Nation indicated that out of the 349 MPs only 15 of them were available at the National Assembly amid rumours of a boycott following the controversial passing of the Finance Bill 2019 that incorporated a memorandum from the president.
On Tuesday, November 5, only 160 MPs were present to deliberate on President Uhuru Kenyatta's memorandum that sought to remove interest caps.
This was way below the minimum of 233 votes needed to overturn a presidential memorandum, as prescribed by section 114 (4) of the Constitution, and retain the caps introduced in a bill sponsored by Kiambu MP Jude Njomo in 2016.
The Wednesday morning session was reportedly boycotted by MPs outraged by what they were calling Executive interference of their legislative independence with claims that the lack of the minimum numbers to overturn the memorandum was orchestrated.
Leader of the majority in the national assembly Aden Duale while speaking to Kenyans.co.ke downplayed the claims that the MPs did not show up alledging that it was normal for a Wednesday morning to have low numbers of MPs show up.
He had also suggested that there was a hidden hand behind the MPs boycotts alleging that some members were playing populist politics with the matters of the house.
The Finance Bill is the enabling legislation that allows the government to levy taxes and is passed for each financial year to operationalise the budget.
The bill had been returned to the National Assembly after President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to assent to the Finance Bill, 2019 on October 17.
Any attempt to amend the bill can now only be introduced after six months.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru's attempt to defend the president's decision on Wednesday was met with hostility from Kenyans aggrieved by the imminent removal of interest caps.
Taking to social media, Waiguru made clear her agreement with the plan stating that if the government borrowing was tamed, then the rate cap removal would not be injurious to the Kenyan population.
"The interest rate cap removal can only benefit Kenyans if we tame government appetite for borrowing from commercial banks by (1) Stopping Government from borrowing from commercial banks altogether; or, (2) Significantly reducing or capping government interest at a maximum 50% of lowest commercial rates," she had stated.
Kenyans online did not take Waiguru's words kindly who read her sentiments as being out of touch with the plight of Kenyans potentially left at the mercy of lenders.
