Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has advised Azimio Members of Parliament not to expend their tactics in futile attempts to defeat the Finance Bill 2023 in the National Assembly.
Speaking during his visit to St Charles Lwanga in Kitui County, the Deputy President highlighted that the opposition coalition faces challenging odds, as the Kenya Kwanza Alliance holds a supermajority in the House.
“Even if you make noise and put sufurias on your head, even if you reject the bill, thinking it won’t pass, you don’t have the numbers and that’s the truth, there’s no need,” Rigathi said.
Gachagua dismissed the opposition coalition’s hypocrisy, highlighting their contradiction in advocating for national development while simultaneously opposing initiatives aimed at fostering economic growth.
He clarified that President William Ruto’s administration does not intend to burden Kenyans with proposed taxes but rather aims to stimulate development across the country.
“On one side you are saying that people should not contribute taxes, on the other, you are saying you want more teachers in schools, then how do we do it? Let’s be truthful,” he added.
“I am a person who speaks the truth; people must give taxes to finance our development expenditure and recurrent expenditure… there was a call to recruit more teachers, who will pay for this? I can’t pay for it with my Ksh1 million salary, that money will be gotten from the citizens” he said.
After the Azimio La Umoja coalition held a parliamentary group meeting, they briefed their members on the strategies they planned to employ in opposing the Bill.
President Ruto currently holds a significant majority in Parliament, which gives him an advantage in pushing his legislative agenda once the House resumes from a month-long recess.
