Some clerics in Homa Bay want Kenyan MPs to consider the interests of Kenyans as they will discuss the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
Interfaith Council chairman, Bishop Abrahams Odongo, and member Kennedy Odeny urged political leaders to incorporate the views of the electorate.
“The Finance Bill is being made for Kenyans and they should be listened to so that the country can move together. Let our lawmakers avoid personal affairs and instead consider Kenyans' interest ahead of theirs as they deliberate on the bill,” Odongo said.
Speaking to journalists in Homa Bay town on Saturday, they asked legislators from both the Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja coalitions to deliberate on the bill with sobriety.
Odongo said MPs and the Kenya Kwanza government should not force the bill down the throats of Kenyans, adding that it is currently confusing.
He asked MPs from both political sides to "stand with Kenyans" who are overburdened by the high cost of living.
“Proposed policies like a bill shouldn’t be injurious to the people they target. Kenyan lawmakers shouldn’t pass a bill that will overburden the people,” he added.
Agreeing with the bishop, Odeny expressed concerns over the potential impact of the bill on ordinary Kenyans, whom he said are already facing economic challenges.
The high cost of living and additional taxes through the Finance Bill will negatively affect many Kenyans.
“The Bill should not be punitive to Kenyans because they are already faced with heavy taxation. We don’t want companies where our people source their livelihoods to close down because of high taxes,” Odeny said.
He appealed to legislators to consider unity and peace among Kenyans in order to realise development.
Many Kenyans are opposed to the bill on the grounds that it has increased taxes, which has caused uproar, resulting in protests among young Kenyans dubbed Gen Zs.
The youth staged demonstrations in major towns countrywide to protest the approval of the bill.
It is headed to the committee stage this week, after the majority of MPs supported it during the second reading in the National Assembly last Thursday.
