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Friday, June 2, 2023 –Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has marched to the court to stop the looming Finance Bill 2023 as proposed by Government.
Omatatah, on Friday June 2, moved to the Nairobi High Court seeking orders to stop government from forcing the Bill to the people before proper consultations are done.
He made the filing on Friday June 2 in a detailed submission in which he claims that the proposed Bill was not only illegal but also questionable.
“Section 76 of the Bill threatens socio-economic rights (Article 43) to the extent that, if made law, the fund will require a 3 per cent reduction in basic salary for employees and a 3 per cent contribution from employers, thereby reducing worker’s purchasing power as it increases business operating costs.
“Section 76 of the Bill threatens the freedom to own property (Article 40(1)) by proposing to compel civil servants to participate in a mandatory tax scheme disguised as a means to facilitate property acquisition,” the Busia Senator added.
Omtatah, therefore, argued that both the Senate and the National Assembly ought to have deliberated on the document before being tabled in the House for voting.
He went on to indicate that their counterparts in the National Assembly could pass the Bill without the Senate’s input; begging the question, what is the role of the Senate in the country?
He goes ahead to read mischief in the whole circus saying there is a clever plot from the presidency to hurry the document through Parliament before ascending it into law.
The Senator-cum-public litigant has sued Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u and Attorney General Justin Muturi, who he argued are key in misadvising the government.
On Saturday May 28, President Ruto who was in Busia County had urged Omtatah not to go to court as the Bill was going to empower many marginalised Kenyans especially on housing challenges.
President Ruto also stated that the housing programme was going to offer jobs to many idle youths.
