A section of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance coalition party MPs on Thursday walked out of Parliament as National Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u introduced the 2023/24 budget.
The opposition, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said, rejects the FY 2023–24 budget, claiming that it is not in the best interests of Kenyans.
“Azimio does believe in this budget. We do not think this is a budget meant for the Kenyan people. It is a budget meant for the Kenya Kwanza government so until we get a budget that is founded on the premise of the Kenyan people we will not participate,” he said.
“The most important part of the Bill is coming on Tuesday (next week) for the third reading, we are setting the stage for a showdown. We don’t believe in this government until we get a budget that is people-centered we will not agree.”
Azimio coalition MPs stage walk-out of the House as Treasury CS Ndung’u begins presenting the 2023/2024 budget estimates pic.twitter.com/o1OsVUVIyR
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) June 15, 2023
The legislators told the media that the walkout was in protest of the Finance Bill 2023 which is set to be read a third time next week.
They accused Speaker Moses Wetangula of sabotage claiming that he had set the voting for next week and not Wednesday.
“We were in chambers when the Speaker said that the debate would happen yesterday and today, the voting was to happen next week…how they ended up voting yesterday is what we are protesting,” said Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino who was absent during the Wednesday vote said: “We are walking out because the budget has been fueled by the illegal Finance Bill which increases high cost of living. The government ignored the plight of poor Kenyans. We will use all the necessary means enshrined in the constitution to stop this Government from suppressing citizens.”
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