Azimio La Umoja, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, on Tuesday, June 6, detailed that it was considering moving to court to challenge the implementation of the contentious Finance Bill 2023.
Speaking to the media, the National Assembly leader of the minority, Opiyo Wandayi, added that they were considering recalling mass action should President William Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza administration get their way in Parliament.
He noted that their strategies were well-informed owing to the opposition the Bill was receiving from many Kenyans. Mass action would also push more Kenyans to criticise the Bill if passed.
"We are not short of options, including but not limited to filing a suit in court. We also have mass action. This is the moment when mass action will be more justified than at any other time," the lawmaker argued.
Wandayi indicated that their move to challenge the Bill in totality was also informed by Ruto threatening legislators allied to his faction against opposing the Bill in Parliament.
He noted that Ruto was out of order as he had no powers to instruct MPs on how to vote on a Bill.
"Under the new Constitution, no one outside Parliament can instruct MPs to vote a certain way. He is misinformed.
"Any of his instructions can only be received through his party representatives, including the Leader of Majority (Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah)," he stated.
However, Wandayi did not give a timeline of when they would move to the courts or recall mass action.
Notably, the debate on the Finance Bill is set to commence on Thursday, June 8, ahead of Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u reading the 2023/24 Budget on Thursday, June 15.
The Bill is yet to be tabled in Parliament for debate as the NA Finance Committee completed its hearings on Tuesday, June 6. The committee led by Molo MP, Kimani Kuria, is set to retreat to draft its final report.
Should Azimio move to court, Ruto will battle two cases, with Busia Senator and activist Okiya Omtatah's petition against the Bill already certified as urgent.
Omtath sought to prevent the National Assembly speaker, Moses Wetangula, from presenting it to the President for ascension if MPs pass it.
"There is no prayer to stop Parliament from debating. The prayer is to stop the Speaker from transmitting the Bill to the President. If ascended to the court pray that the sections we have a problem with be squashed," the senator stated during an interview on K24 TV.
