National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetangula, on Saturday, June 10, revealed that the Members of Parliament would vote for or against the Finance Bill 2023 on a 'clause by clause' basis and not as the entire document.
In a statement, the speaker noted that the lawmakers were mandated by law to push for amendments on clauses that needed changes as opposed to rejecting the bill in its entirety.
He urged the legislators to engage in sober discussions and to avoid political affiliations to deter them from serving their constituencies.
"I asked MPs opposed to the Finance Bill to stop misleading the public on the content of the document and push for amendments of the clauses they feel were not good for Kenyans.
"The Constitution gives MPs powers to push for amendments on clauses that they single out as unfriendly to citizens and that is what I urge them to do instead of decampaigning the document in public meetings in villages. I reminded the legislators that they will have an opportunity to vote for the Bill 'clause by clause'," he stated.
Further, Wetangula pointed out that MPs who sat in committees had the opportunity to extensively interrogate the bill and amend the clauses wherever necessary.
He noted that the Bill was part of the government's development agenda in a bid to cushion Kenyans from the high cost of living.
"The MPs sit in committees where they have an opportunity to thoroughly scrutinise the Bill and make changes on clauses that they disagree with.
"I assured wananchi that President William Ruto was also concerned about the high cost of living and he was doing his best to cushion Kenyans from suffering," he reiterated.
The speaker also called for unity among MPs from the Western region to deliberate on issues and vote regardless of their party affiliation.
"I pledged to support the Western MPs caucus that has brought together all the MPs from the region for the sake of development and prosperity of the region," he added.
Wetangula made the remarks after attending a funds drive in aid of Lwandeti DEB Secondary School in Lugari Constituency where over Ksh14 million was raised to support the infrastructural development of the institution.
He was flanked by Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, Governor Kakamega County Fernandez Barasa, his deputy Ayub Savula and area MP Nabii Nabwera.
The National Assembly’s Finance and Planning Committee is slated to table the Finance Bill 2023 on Tuesday, June 13, in Parliament.
The bill was subject to a fierce public discourse with the opposition, led by Azimio leader Raila Odinga, opposed to Kenya Kwanza's raft of new taxes introduced in the bill. The thorny issues centered around the 3 per cent housing levy - some of the MPs termed as too punitive.
