President William Ruto, on Tuesday, June 20, dismissed claims of bribing each Member of Parliament with Ksh1 million to support the Finance Bill 2023.
Speaking during the launch of the Nairobi County School Feeding Program at Roysambu Primary School, the President claimed that the rumours were propagated by his adversaries, whom he accused of planning to disrupt the government's agenda.
He added that there was no need to incentivise legislators to support the proposed tax policies as they were willing to aid the government in increasing revenue collection.
"There are rumours that MPs were paid Ksh1 million to support the Finance Bill. These are lies. An intelligent person doesn't need to be bribed to do the right thing. So I want to ask those propagating lies that we don't want any sideshows. We want to move on as a country," Ruto confirmed.
The President maintained that it was insincere for leaders to oppose the Finance Bill, which he described as the gateway to providing job opportunities and 200,000 houses annually.
He reiterated that the bill sought to address key societal issues, including unemployment and promoting local businesses.
While delivering her speech, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris vouched for the bill and hailed the Kenya Kwanza administration for offering a solution to ensure that the country becomes self-reliant.
"Kenyans know that life will be difficult but after suffering for a short while, our country will move forward. We must be self-reliant, we must pay our taxes and build Kenya. That's why I'm commending the government for looking for money and working to get us out of debt," she stated.
Opting to deviate away from politics, Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja advocated for the school feeding program - noting that the plan would offer meals to many school-going children who lacked food.
"It is sad that children are forced to stay at home because they are too weak to walk to school because they missed a meal at home, especially, in the evening," he stated.
Promises
In the proposed bill, Ruto noted that Ksh170 million was set aside to solve the sewage mess in Roysambu and other Nairobi towns.
Another Ksh250 billion was committed to constructing roads in the 2023/2024 financial year, with the government contributing the same amount in the subsequent financial years.
Further, the head of state promised to build 3,500 new classrooms in Nairobi on a Ksh3 billion budget.
Finance Bill
During the Second Reading, a total of 176 Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed their support for the proposed bill, while 81 MPs voted against it. The next step in the legislative process is the Third Reading, where MPs will have the opportunity to vote on any proposed amendments to the bill before it can be signed into law.
