NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 – National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has asked MPs to allow Kenyans to read and understand the proposed Finance Bill, 2024, on their own.
Wetang’ula said that the law allows ordinary people to read and understand the Bill that is intended to guide revenue collection for the 2024–25 financial year.
He said the renewed vigor by MPs opposed to the Bill would influence the public’s stand on the document even before they read and understood it.
“My appeal to MPs opposed to the Bill is to stop instigating wananchi,” the Speaker said when he presided over the issuance of bursary cheques to 8,000 needy students at Chebarus Secondary School in Cherangany Constituency.
The event was organized by the area MP, Patrick Simiyu.
He noted that his role as Speaker is to be neutral, but he said he feels it is not wise for a section of parliamentarians opposed to the Bill to take advantage of their people to mislead them.
The Speaker noted that MPs have an opportunity to debate the Finance Bill in the House and not at public meetings like funerals.
“The people you are crying to in funerals over the Finance Bill are the ones who elected you to make the legal documents in the House. How do you then want them to help you yet they have no powers to debate on it in the House,” he said.
He said the National Assembly is currently conducting public participation exercises countrywide to educate the electorate on the document.
“We have decided to conduct the public participation in villages to be able to reach the rural folks and make them understand the Finance Bill because the document has an impact on their lives,” said Wetang’ula.
“You are the ones who must present budget proposals through your Committees, so please refrain from standing before the public and complaining about the Finance Bill when you are the ones responsible for preparing the budget,” he added.
The Speaker also used the forum to declare that the CAS position had now been anchored into law.
The holders of the post were blocked by the courts from assuming office after their appointment was declared unconstitutional.
Wetang’ula said the CASs will soon take up their jobs after the law on reorganization of the government was passed.
“It is a reprieve to the CASs whose dreams were shuttered by courts as they will soon assume office following the passage of the law on re-organisation of the government,” he said.
He commended Cherangany MP for his support of bright but needy children through the NG-CDF and said there was a need to increase allocation to the kitty to enable it to benefit more children and foster development.
Wetang’ula was accompanied by Senators Hon Allan Chesang (Trans Nzoia) and Wafula Wakoli (Bungoma), Innocent Mugabe (Likuyani), and Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi.
