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Sunday, June 18, 2023 –President William Ruto has faulted a section of Members of Parliament MPs from Western Region for their determination to shoot down his Finance Bill.
Speaking in Kakamega at the Anglican Church of Kenya ACK Kakamega headquarters on Sunday June 18 where he also presided over a mini-Haramabee, Ruto singled out several opposition MPs among them Lurambi’s Titus Khamala and Mumias East’s Peter Kalerwa Salasya who he said were busy misleading voters on the model of taxing as proposed in the 2023 Finance Bill.
According to Ruto, only the working class and importers had been targeted in his new tax plan in the Bill which has entered its second reading.
“I came here to help my MPs to teach people about this Finance Bill. Would you like us to go the wrong way of borrowing loans or collecting taxes to reduce the loan burden?” he posed likening his style of leadership to Mwai Kibaki’s era where foreign loans had come down to about three trillion only.
President Ruto noted that his administration was working on a formula to avoid taking more foreign loans to run its activities when it can collect its own money, locally.
Recounting how the Handshake government tripled debts even when Mwai Kibaki had tried to bring it down to about a few billions, Ruto said his style is borrowed from Kibaki’s reign.
Ruto used the opportunity to explain blow-by-blow what he means by taxes and whey his government is pushing the Bill.
“I am optimistic of creating local job for Kenyans. Our youth are jobless and it is my work to make sure I deliver on the promises I made,” he added.
“Have mercy with the poor in this country. This is a collective course. You should not say that it’s not your role,” he added as he acknowledged that the Bill had received a heavy push back from Kenyans.
The head of State who was accompanied by his Western Region allies among them Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, area Senator Boni Khalwale, UDA Party’s Cleophas Malala among others, however, did not make clear how he is intending to fight signs of corruption in his government.
His deputy Rigathi Gachagua was attending a different function in Mt Kenya noted that their region is the biggest beneficiary of Finance Bill 2023.
