Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has downplayed accusations indicating that she has ditched ODM leader Raila Odinga’s camp in favour of President William Ruto’s side.
This is after she voted a Yes for the Finance Bill 2023 on Wednesday yet his party had clearly communicated its opposition to the Bill.
Her vote sparked speculations among Kenyans with a section saying she had been bought by the Kenya Kwanza side.
Passaris defended her stand on the Finance Bill saying it will help millions of Kenyans living in the slums to get affordable housing and get out of slum areas.
He said the government needs money to do a lot of development projects and despite being in the opposition, he serves all Kenyans who voted for her or not. But clarifying her stand, Passaris has maintained that she is still loyal to the opposition and its leader Raila Odinga.
“I’m still in Azimio, I have been in ODM since 2007 and I have supported Baba (Raila) and he has also supported us. We cannot deliver services to Kenyans without money, the country has a huge debt at the moment,” she said.
“I would like to say that any government cannot function without money. Our country is grappling with huge debts, and we don’t want lenders to adopt austerity measures to control that,” Passaris said.
“So we must stand firm to ensure that our government has money. Where will we get the money if the government does not collect tax? People must be taxed so that the government can also fulfil its mandate. I have seen some good things from the budget, including an increased allocation to HELB and hospitals.”
Passaris is among 28 ODM MPs who have been listed for disciplinary action for sabotaging the party’s stand on the Finance Bill.In a statement on Thursday, ODM said the Party is in receipt of many complaints from its general membership regarding the conduct of its MPs during Wednesday’s vote on the Finance Bill, 2023.
“In line with the Party’s disciplinary rules, notices to show cause disciplinary action should not be taken have been issued to the members. They are expected to respond within the next 48 hours,” the statement by the party SG Edwin Sifuna read.
