Azimio La Umoja Members of Parliament have declared that they will not let President William Ruto’s new tax policies be adopted by the house.
The Finance Bill 2023 remains a controversial issue, with the opposition side accusing Ruto of using it to further frustrate Kenyans with taxes.
Azimio MPs have said that they will have to fight for their people in the event all initial attempts to suspend the bill peacefully flop.
Deputy Minority Leader Robert Mbui has said that they will even steal the mace from the house to ensure the bill is not adopted.
“We will not walk out this time. We will be there to fight for our people. We will take out the mace and will not allow them to muzzle us,” the Kathiani parliamentarian told Daily Nation on Sunday.
The MP has said that the proposals contained in the bill will only worsen things for Kenyans, adding that even allies of Ruto should be opposing it.
He has made the remarks while expressing confidence that Azimio will emerge victorious on this one and will successfully fight off the new taxes.
“I’m very confident we are going to win on the floor of the House. We are going to fight on behalf of the Kenyans who elected us and who will suffer the most if this bill is passed in its current form. We will urge those in Kenya Kwanza to reject the bill on account of Kenyans wanting to have nothing to do with it,” he has said.
The paper has established that Azimio also plans on proposing an amendment to each of the suggestions just to delay it for as long as possible.
There is also the push for an open vote, where an MP is called out and says whether he votes “Yes” or “No” for a particular clause of a bill, as the coalition plans to identify those who will support and shame them.
National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed said they will also come up with a finance bill as the government side tables theirs.
