There was a light moment in Parliament Tuesday morning when Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabir staged a dramatic protest against the Finance Bill.
The MP displayed a placard with the message “reject Finance Bill”.
The Bill is currently on the committee of the whole house after sailing through the second reading stage last Thursday.
Some 204 MPs voted to approve it against 115 who rejected it.
The drama in the House was witnessed just as the members debated on clause 32.
Shabir who had been stuck to his seat suddenly rose pulled out the placard and started wielding it attracting cheers from other members of the opposition.
His mission was, however, short-lived as parliamentary orderlies swiftly intervened attempting to wrestle the placard from his grasp.
Shabir evaded their efforts and hastily exited the chamber while displaying the material.
Chaired by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss, the deliberations are focused on dissecting the bill clause by clause.
Finance committee chairperson Kuria Kimani moved the motion on the bill while introducing amendments to some key areas that the Kenya Kwanza MPs agreed to drop in the bill.
The tax proposals dropped from the bill include 16% VAT on bread, Excise duty on vegetable oil, VAT on transportation of sugar, 2.5 per cent Motor Vehicle Tax and Eco Levy on locally manufactured products.
Other members also had an opportunity to scrutinize the bill while making amendments to the clauses during the sitting.
The committee of the whole house format allows for detailed examination of each clause, ensuring thorough consideration before the bill progresses to subsequent stages of legislative review.
The bill will later be subjected to a final vote.
