Defence CS Aden Duale praised Members of Parliament who supported the passage of the Finance Bill, 2024, describing their decision as courageous and in the best interests of the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Duale expressed anticipation for the next steps in the legislative process concerning the Bill.
“As a former legislator, I wish to congratulate the Members of the National Assembly from the entire political divide for guiding the country accordingly and we now look forward to the next stage being the Committee of the Whole House where amendments to the Bill will be considered.
“This is indeed great progress and I commend all Members who voted yes, stood tall, chose courage and voted for the best interests of this country,” Duale said.
He noted that even though there is divided opinion on the Bill, the important thing is that parliament did its job.
He said that the National Assembly spoke clearly in doing their job.
Duale added that the process is now on its finalisation stretch and he looks forward to the final product.
“Whereas there may be divided opinion on the Bill which is normal and expected in every mature democracy, what is great is that the constitutionally mandated body being the National Assembly as the representative of the 290 constituencies and 47 counties has discharged its mandate this afternoon and spoken loud and clear.”
204 government-allied MPs supported advancing the bill to the second reading for discussion of proposed amendments, while 115 MPs opposed it and vowed to continue their opposition outside the parliament.
The bill was passed despite widespread protests across Kenya, from cities like Nairobi and Mombasa to regional centers such as Kisumu and Eldoret, where demonstrators voiced strong dissent.
Earlier in the week, the government withdrew some controversial tax proposals in response to public outcry over fairness concerns. Yet, there remained apprehension that alternative funding strategies might still unfairly impact vulnerable groups.
