Mt Kenya MPs Allied To Rigathi Vow To Vote ‘No For Finance Bill 2024 To Punish Ruto

In a move that is likely to widen speculations about a rift between the country’s top leadership, Members of Parliament allied to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have threatened to shoot down the Finance Bill 2024 should the second in command continue to be ‘sidelined’.

The lawmakers intend to begin speaking against the Bill in rallies and church functions, vowing to push for several amendments.

Speaking to The Standard, the leaders stated that, unlike the 2023 Finance Bill, they will wait for Gachagua’s directive on steps forward.

The leaders claim to have sought expertise from economists to better understand the Finance Bill to avoid voting for what they don’t understand. They reiterated that a vote against the bill would be the ultimate retaliation.

Some of the proposed taxes they intend to oppose include the Minimum Top-Up Tax, Motor Vehicle Circulation Tax, Significant Economic Presence Tax and 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on bread.

Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ruku cautioned that increasing VAT on basic commodities such as bread would further burden Kenyans. He also argued that some of the proposed taxes subvert the four principles of manufacturing.

“Any proposal coming from the Treasury which does not enhance the four factors of production, which includes land entrepreneurship and capital labour, should be discarded from debate in Parliament. We want to support these four engines of production so that we can move our nation forward. This time around, we must do justice to Kenyans,” Ruku told The Standard.

Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto complained that the government is only allocating Ksh4 billion to coffee farmers whereas Ksh117 billion has been allocated to clear sugarcane miller debts.

”If we allow such proposals to pass, we shall find it rough with our people. Our senior MPs from our camp should arrange and summon us for the way forward because we don’t want to repeat a mistake. This time round we shall be very alert.  We should not allow something to be passed that will be detrimental to us when we go back to grassroots as we shall be at pains to explain it to our people,” said the MP.

The leaders claimed that the state had promised Ksh80 per kilogram of coffee but has since remitted half the money and failed to include the remainder in the 2024-2025 budget estimates.

Gachagua’s allies are expected to meet with experts drawn from local universities and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers on Friday, May 24, 2024, to discuss the Bill.

Confirming the meeting, Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina stated that the leaders are determined to make an informed decision on the Bill rather than wait for directives on how to vote.

“On Friday, ten MPs will engage experts who will give their impartial views on the Finance Bill so that we don’t just oppose or second it without understanding it. This time around, it will not be business as usual, of going to Parliament and approving the bill,” he said.