Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetangula stated that the members of parliament will vote to have the Finance Bill of 2024 withdrawn after Parliament resumes sittings.

The MPs who will be resuming from recess on Tuesday will be prioritising the Memorandum on the Finance Bill of 2024 which was issued by President Ruto when he declined to assent to the bill.

Wetangula clarified that in the next voting exercise, two-thirds of the MPs will have to vote for the withdrawal of the bill for the President’s decision to hold weight.

“As you are aware, the President declined to assent to the Finance Bill 2024 and sent back with a memorandum indicating he had rejected all clauses of the bill. The memorandum and rejection will be part of the business of the House.”

“Under our standing orders, when the President sends a memorandum of that nature, any member who wants to overturn it must garner two-thirds of the House votes,” stated Wetangula.

Wetangula also clarified that the bill would not be in operation as earlier alleged by media reports.

Earlier on previous media reports had claimed that the provisions of the bill would automatically take effect in 14 days if Parliament did not debate on its withdrawal by the President.

Additionally, in his press briefing, Wetangula clarified that journalists were not banned from the Parliamentary precincts as earlier alleged.

He further reinstated earlier sentiments that the media precincts would be relocated to another area of the parliament grounds.

This will be done once the construction of an ultra-modern media centre within Parliament Square is done.

"I have been seeing in the media, allegations that any restriction on the media coming to Parliament. Nothing is far from the truth and the testimony is that you are being here before me and that you have come to Parliament to do your work," he said.

The clarification comes after journalists alleged a plot to have them banned from the parliamentary buildings after covering the Parliamentary breach on June 25, 2024.