NAIROBI, Kenya, June 27 – National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has referred President William Ruto’s memorandum on the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 to the House Finance Committee.
The committee, chaired by Molo MP Kimani Kuria, has been directed to table its report when the House resumes from its month-long recess on July 23.
With Parliament currently in recess, Speaker Wetangula is required to convey the message to all lawmakers regarding the memorandum and its implications. According to the standing orders, if a message is received from the President while Parliament is in recess, it will be transmitted to members when they next convene.
“When a message from the President is read, it shall be deemed to have been laid before the House. The Speaker may then direct that the message be dealt with forthwith, appoint a day for its consideration, or refer it to the relevant Committee of the House for consideration,” the Standing Orders state.
In his memorandum, President Ruto stated, “I decline to assent to the Finance Bill 2024 and refer the Bill for reconsideration by the National Assembly with the recommendation for the deletion of all clauses thereof.”
Lawmakers will vote on the President’s reservations to delete the Bill in its entirety once the House resumes from recess. Based on parliamentary procedure, they will vote clause by clause to delete the provisions in the Bill. If MPs decide to veto the President’s reservations, they will require a two-thirds majority of the House.
The Finance Bill 2024 had already completed its legislative process in the National Assembly, securing a simple majority in its third reading, the final stage in the legislative house. During the committee of the whole House, the Bill passed with 195 Members of Parliament voting in its support. This outcome sparked widespread violence during demonstrations, resulting in over 20 deaths, 300 injuries, and more than 50 arrests.
In response to public outcry, President Ruto withdrew the Finance Bill 2024, stating that it would be shelved to allow for dialogue and a collective approach to financing the current budget. Despite this decision, protests continued.
A significantly lower turnout of demonstrators was witnessed in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) on Thursday during anti-government protests, as security agents employed new tactics to deter protestors from accessing the area. Unlike the deadly clashes on Tuesday, which saw police and protestors engaged in violent confrontations, Thursday experienced relative calm. Security agents worked around the clock to prevent any form of gathering or idling in the CBD.
This historic step, the first of its kind since independence, implies that the Sh 3.9 trillion budget will be managed using the current Finance Act, along with external and internal borrowing to address the budget deficit.
The Finance Bill 2024 had sparked widespread outrage, particularly among Kenya’s youth, who felt disproportionately burdened by the proposed tax increases. Protests erupted nationwide, with demonstrators arguing that the Bill would worsen the economic hardships faced by ordinary Kenyans.
“Listening keenly to the people of Kenya, who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn,” President Ruto stated.
Source: capitalfm
