The Mt Kenya Times 
President William Ruto
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- These interventions would have helped him to tame the threats posed by the Somali based Al Shabaab terrorists.
- Hardly a week passed without a terror attack being reported. Many people lost their lives and properties worth billions of shillings were destroyed. The Westgate terror attack shocked the whole world.
- Back to Finance Bill 2023, the Azimio La Umoja OKA party wanted Kenyans to believe that President William Ruto had brain-washed and totally compromised members of ruling Kenya Kwanza to vote in support of the Bill in its original form. No amendments. No alterations.
- To succeed in this, Azimio allege that Ruto had employed strong arm tactics including warning the members who will vote ‘NO’ of dire consequences.
The Finance Bill 2023 is currently going through the Third reading. This is the final stage and so the Whole Committee of the House is involved in the debate.
This process will culminate with voting. Each member will have a chance to vote either in favor of all the proposals or reject some of them. It will be an open vote. Here, Kenya Kwanza and Azimio read the same script.
Watching and looking at the MPs’ body language, one thing was clear. The members in both sides took this matter very seriously.
They knew this is a key constitutional duty bestowed on each one of them by the electorate.
As a result, each would make his or her contribution freely and openly without looking over their shoulders whether the ‘big man’ was watching them.
Prior to the tabling of the Bill, the relevant committees of parliament had convened public hearings during which the public got an opportunity to present their views.
Majority of Kenyans rooted for reduction of the proposed taxes and scrapping of some.
Based on concerns they had raised, some of the amendments introduced by some members sailed through.
This time there were no ugly scenes witnessed on the floor of the house.
This is contrary to dramas that were witnessed before.
In 2018, for instance, the debate on Finance Bill turned chaotic and at one point members engaged each other in physical confrontations.
The same scenario played out during the debate to amend the security laws.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet had initiated this process. Uhuru wanted the security laws amended so that he can have the power to hire and fire senior police officers.
These interventions would have helped him to tame the threats posed by the Somali based Al Shabaab terrorists.
Hardly a week passed without a terror attack being reported. Many people lost their lives and properties worth billions of shillings were destroyed. The Westgate terror attack shocked the whole world.
Back to Finance Bill 2023, the Azimio La Umoja OKA party wanted Kenyans to believe that President William Ruto had brain-washed and totally compromised members of ruling Kenya Kwanza to vote in support of the Bill in its original form. No amendments. No alterations.
To succeed in this, Azimio allege that Ruto had employed strong arm tactics including warning the members who will vote ‘NO’ of dire consequences.
Initially, the coalition leader Raila Odinga had vowed. We are ready to counter President Ruto’s bid to impose this Bill which he termed as punitive and scandalous. I have therefore directed our members to reject this Bill in entirety.
But the story would be different when it was finally tabled in parliament.
The Azimio members would not be bound by Raila’s hardline stance. They would critique, look at the merit and demerit of this Bill with soberness.
In Mount Kenya region, Githunguri MP Githoni Wa Muchomba openly opposed this Bill.
If Ruto was running the country with an iron fist, she could have become the first casualty.
When Ruto visited her constituency a few days later, she was given a chance to welcome the leaders accompanying him and took the opportunity to enumerate the challenges facing area residents.
At this event, the President pitched tent for the Bill. Some leaders in Azimio interpreted this to mean he had gone there to lecture and embarrass the MP.
The President’s diary is prepared much earlier. It contains the functions he would attend to in the next one or two months.
So, the visit to Githunguri had been organized before Wamuchomba started to campaign against the Bill.
We know the President had all along pitched tent for this Bill. He always requested and called on members of parliament not to let him down.
This bill is very important. It will help my administration to kick start the process of rebuilding our economy.
In light of this, what did you expect the President to say during this visit? You would not have expected him to praise Gathoni for rejecting the Bill.
The president had earlier said he will watch to see the MPs who will reject the proposed taxes and housing levy. This is because it seeks to create jobs for millions of jobless ‘hustlers’.
Every day, you are confronted by these hustlers. They would ask you to get them jobs. So, why deny them this chance?
Remember you will go back to them after five years. I doubt these ‘hustlers’ will renew your contract.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
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