Khalwale Booed For Defending Ruto’s Taxation Plan

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was on Saturday booed by mourners as he tried to defend President William Ruto’s administration.

The lawmaker was addressing mourners on the contentious Finance Bill 2023.

Khalwale, nicknamed the “Bullfighter”, started by criticizing those who spoke before him accusing them of misleading the people.

“On the issue of taxes, you ought to know that whoever is telling you that taxes have been increased is misleading the budget bill will be read next month. That is a fact,” he said, amid “lies” chants.

Read: Finance Bill Punishing Middle-class – Raila

The crowd could be heard telling him to go back to his seat as the disk jockey played music to help contain the situation.

But the two-time Kakamega senator demanded the deejay pause the music for him to conclude his speech.

“As the most senior leader in Kakamega, I have to tell my people the truth so that they know where the nation is headed,” he said as the heckling intensified.

“I agree that the cost of living is currently very high. But what the leaders ought to be discussing is how they will work to bring down the cost of living,” he added.

Read Also: PS Hinga Walks Out of Meeting After MPs Question Him on Housing Tax

On Thursday, Khalwale defended the proposed 3 percent Housing levy saying high levels of financial illiteracy were to blame for the confusion on the fund.

“There is so much financial illiteracy in this country that even ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, even shylocks even online conmen succeed because of financial illiteracy,” he said.

He claimed that the levy will not be a tax but a savings plan aimed at eradicating poverty.

“You people (the media) are misleading the country to make housing look like it is taxation, it is not a tax measure at all, it is a saving.”

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