Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party, has given President William Ruto a new deadline of 2023 to withdraw the highly controversial Finance Bill or face unspecified consequences.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation Headquarters in Nairobi, Mr. Odinga stated that the President Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza administration has until Monday next week to listen to Kenyans’ views on the Bill or “face their wrath.”
The opposition leader blasted the President for imposing excessive taxes on already overburdened Kenyans, the majority of whom live on less than a dollar a day.
Mr. Odinga accused President Ruto of “re-introducing dictatorship in the country,” which he said would be unwelcome with the oppressed majority.
“They (Kenya Kwanza administration) made a million promises to the people, none of those promises has been implemented and there is no indication that they will execute them,” he said.
The Azimio boss said Kenyans are tired of empty promises by the Kenya Kwanza administration, coupled with the increasingly high cost of living.
“Enough is enough! We shall blow the trumpet, we will tell you what to do. That day is coming soon,” said Mr. Odinga.
The former premier was flanked by Westlands Member of Parliament Tom Wanyonyi who donated tools of work worth Ksh.20 million under the Nairobi Youth and Women Empowerment Program.
Wanyonyi said he will be in the 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial race and that he is committed to uplifting the standards of the people of Nairobi.
“Some people have been saying that I want to shift my base to Bungoma and I want to assure them that I am a Nairobian and I am going nowhere,” he said.
Mr. Odinga vowed his support for Mr. Wanyonyi as Governor Johnson Sakaja’s replacement at City Hall during the next election cycle.
Raila spoke at a time Busia County Senator Okiya Omtatah maintains he will challenge the controversial Finance Bill 2023 in court.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am heading to court, which is an arena outside this house. If the bill was coming to this house, I could have waited to comment on the bill and try and fight it in this house. But because it is not coming in this house, it will only be in the National Assembly, I am going to engage with the bill in court,” said Omtatah on the floor of the Senate Wednesday.
The Finance Bill 2023 has raised a spectre of controversy with opponents taking issue with what they term as punitive taxes contained in the bill and the proposed mandatory Housing Fund.
