NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 14 – The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has urged the Kenya Kwanza Members of Parliament to join their Azimio counterparts to vote against the Finance Bill 2023.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Wickliffe Oparanya who was reading the statement on behalf of the coalition, said that the bill is punitive and obnoxious, is dividing and threatening Kenyans people.
“We now appeal to you the Kenya Kwanza MPs, we know that in your heart you know the bill is wrong. We urge you to join your Azimio counterparts and stand with Kenyans,” he said.
He added that the coalition believes that the country needs and deserves a rights based budget.
He continued by saying that the budget that is people centered will be ready by the coalition as they have the people’s budget.
“In a nutshell we believe this country needs and deserves a people’s budget. We believe in a rights based budget,” he added.
“That budget is coming, Kenyans will have a people’s budget.”
Oparanya added that the coalition remains with their stand that the Azimio affiliated MPs to vote against the Finance Bill as stated earlier.
He stated that Kenyans should be on the outlook and standby and be ready to join them for the next course of action which they will communicate.
Azimio la Umoja Coalition leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday 7th June urged his Members in Parliament to vote against the Finance Bill.
Odinga said that the proposed taxes that will be levied following its passage with burden Kenyans further.
He has threatened to mobilize street protests should the bill pass in Parliament.
“This bill is a disease that cannot be cured, and it is an economic sabotage if [president] Ruto insists on this bill the country will go into full recession. And we have agreed that Azimio MPs vote against any tax rises,” he said.
“Should Ruto overrun the national assembly we will regroup and overrun him in a wider national assembly of the whole people of Kenya,” he told a news conference Wednesday.
Raila instead wants President Ruto to withdraw the Bill and apologize to Kenyans for the anxiety it has created.
He added that Instead of taxing Kenyans, the president should stop the duplication of county roles and responsibilities, adopt a zero-based budgeting approach by not using the previous budget as a baseline, and stop the budget from growing but instead reduce it to levels the nation can afford.
“Instead of imposing new taxes, seal the loopholes that lead to loss of revenue, stop non-essential government expenditures including the appointment of Chief Administrative Secretaries, reduce the size of government and cut non-essential domestic and international travel,” he added
