Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has explained why he was absent during the voting process of the Finance Bill, 2023, in Parliament on Wednesday, June 14.

In a statement, Owino said that he had arranged to meet his lawyer to prepare for his defence hearing at Milimani Law Courts slated for Thursday, June 15. He said that he informed National Assembly Minority Leader, Opiyo Wandayi, about his circumstances before leaving the parliament buildings.

Owino also blamed National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula for the mishap, indicating that the original plan from the Parliamentary leadership was for the voting process to take place after the third reading. However, Wetangula made some changes and ruled that voting would take place on Wednesday. By that time, many MPs were anticipating that voting would occur next week. That explains why so many members, especially from the Azimio Coalition missed the sitting.

Owino strongly criticized the passage of the Finance Bill during the Second Reading, asserting that it posed a looming disaster for Kenyans. He said that the bill is retrogressive and that he would not support it even if ODM party leader Raila Odinga instructed him to do so.

Mumias East MP Peter Salasya, who is currently in Morocco on official business, wondered why communication was not issued for MPs to suspend other engagements ahead of the Finance Bill voting process.

The Finance Bill, 2023, was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, June 13, by the National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee. The committee, chaired by Molo MP Kuria Kimani, advocated for certain amendments in the bill to cater to the concerns raised by the public. This involved reduction of the Housing Fund tax from three percent to 1.5 percent. Further, the proposed digital tax was revised to five percent from the initial 16 percent. However, some of the clauses such as the proposed 16 per cent Value Added Tax on fuel were not revised.

The bill now proceeds to the third and final reading, where lawmakers will have an opportunity to propose amendments to specific clauses within the bill.