• Tuesday, 05 November 2024
Azimio suspends all foreign trips for its members ahead of the Finance Bill voting next week

Azimio suspends all foreign trips for its members ahead of the Finance Bill voting next week

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party has suspended all foreign trips by its lawmakers from this weekend ahead of debate and voting on the contentious Finance Bill, 2024 in Parliament next week.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who led the coalition leaders in addressing the press on Friday afternoon, laughed off the budget statement read on Thursday by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u saying it would adversely hurt citizens.

“We urge the international community, civil society organisations and concerned citizens to stand in solidarity with Kenyans in condemning the Kenya Kwanza regime’s blatant disregard for the public good,” said Kalonzo.

"We therefore reaffirm our stand that all Kenyans must oppose the Finance Bill 2024 and have instructed all our parliamentary members to lead from the foot in rejecting this punitive bill in its totality."

The opposition coalition party insisted that its MPs must be present in the House to reject the Bill that they termed punitive.

"We are asking our MPs and also the 179 MPs in Kenya Kwanza to know that sera mbaya, maisha mbaya. They should all reject the Finance Bill because it will hurt all the people regardless of whether they are in Azimio or Kenya Kwanza," said DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa.

"We are urging our MPs not to travel this week as they await the Finance Bill debate, they should also not fail to attend the sessions."

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the party had already dispatched letters to its legislators instructing them to appear in Parliament the entire next week without failure.

"All members of the National Assembly are to suspend any planned trips or any activities which would see them out of Nairobi for the duration of the consideration of the Finance Bill 2024, from the date of tabling on Tuesday next week until a vote is taken," said Sifuna.

Senator Sifuna further threatened action against MPs who would not comply with the directive.

"Last year, the coalition gave a position similar to the one we have given, we in ODM did undertake disciplinary action for either absconding or voting against the position of the coalition," he said.

Kalonzo and the team said that some of the clauses in the Bill are unrealistic and MPs across the board must shoot it down.

 

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