Inside Politics

Ruto drums up support to pass the Finance bill

Monday, May 29th, 2023 08:00 | By
President William Ruto
President William Ruto. PHOTO/Courtesy

President William Ruto yesterday continued rooting for the passage of the Finance bill amid growing opposition over the controversial legislation.

Ruto, who was attending an interdenominational church service in Busia, left the faithful in stitches when he said he is neither mad nor a drunkard to support the contentious bill as he knows what he is doing.

“Mimi sio wazimu na mimi silewangi, I know what I am saying, katika hii budget nimeipanga vizuri, kazi yangu ya kwanza niliahidi waKenya ya kwamba safari hii ni kuinua wale walio chini, tufanye bottom up,” he said. (I am not mad, and I am not drunk i know what I am doing and I have planned my work well, I promised hustlers that my first would be to uplift those in the low-class level, we do bottom up.)

 His support for the bill comes at a time when lawmakers are supposed to resume sittings next week to consider the said bill, which is currently undergoing public participation.

 The exercise being spearheaded by the committee on Finance and National Planning will conclude today.

 The National Assembly has received about 983 memoranda comprising of 756 sent as emails and comments and another 1,237 as substantive submissions by different grips and individuals.

 And in Busia yesterday, Ruto in particular pushed for the passage of the controversial housing levy which is seeking to deduct three per cent from salaried employees which will be matched by employers but not exceed Sh5,000.

 The president told the congregants that 42 governors have already confirmed that they have land, which they can use to put up the affordable house once the bill, is passed.

  “There are people bringing politics about this three per cent that we are deducting my question is how many people have pay slips…why is it so hard for us with pay slips to help you the one without pay slip. Why are you allowing people to come here and lie to you about this? I want to ask you leaders to be pro-people that those of us with jobs are able to support those of us without jobs,” he said.

Ruto made the remarks hours after Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah told him to his face that he would be taking him to court should he fail to address some of the controversial clauses in the bill.

 In his address, Omtatah who reminded Ruto that he was still the one who took former president Uhuru Kenyatta to court over the same and won as it was rued that the contribution should be voluntary said that he had only shelved his move to take him to court because of his planned visit to Busia.

Prepared petition

 “I had already prepared a petition to take to court, but when but I heard you are coming to Busia I held it. Because we are friends lets not fight otherwise next week we shall meet there,” he said.

 Omtatah while telling Ruto not to allow a section of leaders to lie to him, said there are six areas issues in the bill that needs to be re-looked at as they go against the constitution.  He said for the sake of Kenyans, it would be prudent that some of those controversial issues be deleted.

 Said Omtatah: “ From behind here, this housing tax is not the first time, we are dealing with it, even Uhuru brought it and I am one of those who fought it until it was declared voluntary. Mr President I finished reading your Finance bill last Friday and it has both good and bad things. People should not lie to you that the bill has only good things. There are bad things that are going against the spirit of the constitution.”

 He added, “Mr President, you are my friend but the constitution is more my friend than you. I have looked at the finance bill and it goes against the constitution on a six aspects. I ask please respect the constitution and remove them and if you don’t we will go and fight this in court. There is nothing to complain about but there is everything to fight for. Let us avoid fights, let not people fool or deceive you, there are issues in that bill where even the Supreme Court has pronounced itself on. This housing levy I am the open who fought it , pleas e don’t allow me to go to court again.”

Plan for hustlers

But in a quick rejoinder, Ruto asked Omtata not to take him to court but to allow the said bill to pass saying it was for the good of Kenyans.

He explained that the housing project will be able to create employment for the youth as he is going to ground-break the construction of 5,000 houses in Busia County.“For every house, we will need five youth to help in construction. For the 5,000 houses, we will need 25,000 youth for the work,” he said.

In his argument, Ruto told Omtata that the people he should have taken to court are former President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga as they are the ones who messed up the economy following their handshake.

“I want you to help me on one issue, talk to your senator Mr Omtata because he wants to take me to court yet what I am doing is to plan for this hustlers to get jobs please help me talk to him so that he does not take me to court.

“The good thing about him is that he has not planned to spoil anybody’s business, or mama mboga kiosks, there are others are threatening me that if I don’t do this they will protest, Okiya is better, at least f he takes me to court nobody’s job will bot be spoilt, I will just ask my lawyers to follow him there,” he said.

He added: “You should have taken those people in the handshake to court, you know very well they were planning for the rich why are you planning to make me to curt when I am planning for hustlers.  You should have taken those people.”

Ruto explained that in the bill, he has three plans on matters touching on the employment of the youths in the country.

“On the proposed finance bill 2023, I have set aside money for ICT hubs in every ward across the country that will enable the youth apply for digital jobs, there is plans on agro-processing and the affordable housing,” he added.

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