Kenya Bora lobby group to challenge Finance Bill in court
Hours after President William Ruto assented to the Finance Bill 2023, the Kenya Bora Tuitakayo Assemblies group has vowed challenge the move in court.
The lobby group announced on June 26, 2023, that it had instructed its legal team to try and overturn the decision in court as it doesnt ‘represent the will of the people’.
Cyprian Orina-Nyamwamu and Reuben Kigame, the lobby group representatives who spoke to the media, also accused the County Assemblies of failing in their role of representing Kenyans by supporting a bill that does not meet their needs.
“We say to Ruto the Finance Bill you signed this morning will show you that you cannot rule Kenya by force. You have to follow the constitution,” declared Mr Nyamwamu. He fell short of explaining how passing the law was uncostitutional.
The group further expressed disappointment with the majority side in the National Assembly.
The group threatened to seek the support of Kenyans in storming Parliament in protest.
It further challenged the route being taken by the President on creating jobs for Kenyans, saying informal jobs will not sustain the current economy for the majority of citizens.
“What the President is creating is one new loophole for stealing money. He’s not creating jobs. That is not how jobs are created. Jobs are created when you enable the private sector to create jobs by reducing the cost of energy, the cost of fuel, and tax.”
The group also described the Housing Tax, which will ensure all salaried employers are deducted 1.5% of their gross salary as a looming scandal that was rushed without principals and procedures that ought to have been availed first.
“All that President Ruto is doing is to justify creation of an illegal entity called the Housing Fund which does not exist in law. Nobody has told the country where this money is going to be allocated. Where is the policy on how the building is going to be done?
Mr Kigame, a gospel artist who unsuccessfully contested for the presidency in the 2022 polls, said the group is not being pushed by any forces including the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
Mr Kigame regretted that the cost of living keeps soring and urged President Ruto to listen to the voices of Kenyans instead of using majority MPs to forcefully impose new taxes.
The group asked the government officials to respect media freedom.
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