Following the move by Kenyans to share legislators' contacts on social media, a section of the MPs acknowledged receiving a plethora of texts and calls from irate taxpayers.

In what is considered a movement titled #RejectFinanceBill2024, Kenyans took to social media to appeal to the MPs to drop the Bill in Parliament, citing punitive taxes that will subject them to a further economic crisis.

South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro aired his sentiments and acknowledged receiving over 3,000 messages with a majority of Kenyans expressing their frustrations over the incumbent administration.

"Somebody must have shared our contacts from the president right down to all the MPs. For the record I have received close to 3,000 messages with 50 per cent being very vulgar and weird demands," he stated. 

"Unfortunately there are groups of people taking advantage of the exposure of our contacts to display their frustrations with us and insult us. Half are about the Finance Bill, the rest are insults, asking for jobs, money etc."

Osoro reaffirmed that the MPs would consider views from the public after the Finance Committee tables the report before Parliament. He reassured Kenyans that they would assess each clause independently before voting on the bill. 

"They gave us a five-year contract to act on their behalf. The report will be tabled next week, we will weigh the report as it is and either vote for or against it," the lawmaker noted. 

"We have their interests at heart. We will not pass punitive laws against Kenyans. They need to cool down and relax. We will make sure clauses in the finance bill that are either reduced or dropped,"

At the same time, Mandera MP Abdirahman Hussein questioned how Kenyans online got ahold of their contacts, from the president to a legislator. 

"There is a lot of outcry today. I don't know where Kenyans got our contacts from. Each MP received a message from Kenyans," said Hussein.

"Kenyans are awake and they are not the way they used to be before telling us to reject whatever that comes."

Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya claimed that he received over 5,000 calls from unknown numbers from Kenyans asking him to reject the Finance Bill.

"Who has shared my number on X (formerly Twitter) everybody across the nation is calling my number texting me and WhatsApping me I can't sleep the phone is vibrating throughout I reject the Finance Bill tomorrow and are sending one shilling to confirm if it's me. We are not voting tomorrow," Salasya said.

A section of MPs also lightly responded to the matter; telling the public to also send cash while listing their issues. 

"Tumeni kakitu pia. Hio ndo number ya Mpesa," Keiyo South MP Gideon Kimaiyo noted.

The viral hashtag of Kenyans calling for MPs to drop the Finance Bill has trended for the better part of the day ahead of the budget reading by Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung'u in Parliament.

The contentious Finance Bill forms part of the strategies by the government to meet its Ksh.3.4 trillion revenue target.