The Affordable Housing Bill 2023 on Tuesday, February 20, sailed through to third reading after 141 legislators voted in favour of the Bill at the Second Reading stage.
During the proceedings, lawmakers allied to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) heeded to President William Ruto's rallying call and turned up in large numbers to throw their weight behind the piece of legislation seeking to legally entrench one of President William Ruto's legacy projects.
As the vote went on, Kenyans were quick to observe that several Azimio lawmakers were absent, with only 58 MPs allied to the opposition voting in favour of shooting down the proposed law.
Some of the Azimio politicians not present at the chambers included Babu Owino (Embakasi East), Peter Salasya (Mumias East) and Naisula Lesuuda (Samburu West).
Timothy Wanyonyi (Westlands) and Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North) were also not present .
Kenya Kwanza enjoys numbers in Parliament which prompted Kenyans to question why the leaders failed to fulfill their primary responsibility which is to keep the government in the check.
"How can they put the government at check if they ain't showing up?"
While explaining his absence, Babu Owino shared photos of him tutoring a Mathematics class in Kisumu County on his official social media handles.
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, who belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, was also missing in action. At this specific moment, she was attending a Gender Mainstreaming Workshop for Women Parliamentarians.
On the other hand, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, a fierce critic of the government despite being elected on a UDA ticket, was also not present in the chambers when the vote was taking place.
This means that the Bill is on the verge of being passed into an Act that will allow the government to deduct 1.5 per cent of Kenyan employees' salaries.
Before the voting started, National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah appealed to his fellow lawmakers to consider their constituents when casting their votes.
"Vote for jobs! Jobs! Vote for wealth creation and vote for a new Kenya," Ichung'wah stated amid a chorus of boos from the Azimio side.
Earlier in the week, President Ruto appealed to MPs to ensure swift passage of the bill, emphasising its potential to alleviate the unemployment crisis in the country.
“I don’t think there is anyone who needs persuasion on housing. Do we still have anybody who has any doubts, surely? For the places where housing projects have started in Ruiru, crime has gone down,” Ruto stated during a Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group meeting in Naivasha.
