President William Ruto presided over a crucial session of the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group (PG) at State House on Tuesday, ahead of the impending deliberations on the Finance Bill, 2024.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other top parliamentary leaders joined the meeting, which aimed to rally MPs behind the Finance Bill amidst growing opposition to its tax proposals.
The Departmental Committee on Finance and Planning is set to present its final report on the Bill today, following extensive public hearings. MPs will engage in debates and have the authority to amend the report clause by clause during the Third Reading Stage.
The Finance Bill has sparked widespread controversy, with leaders and the public urging MPs to reject certain tax measures perceived as burdensome to ordinary citizens.
President Ruto’s gathering at State House was viewed as a crucial effort to sway lawmakers to support the Bill, amid reports of Deputy President Gachagua mobilizing allies to oppose it.
The Deputy President has faced criticism from some of the President’s supporters, accusing him of stoking ethnic tensions through his “One Shilling, One Vote” campaign.
