Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi Friday warned that rejecting the 2024/2025 finance bill would have amounted to passing a vote of no confidence with government.
He also said the move could have crippled all government operations, which would have led to overthrowing the government and calling for fresh elections.
Mudavadi emphasized that passing the finance bill constitutes the foundation on which the stability of the country is built.
“Those who were working hard to make sure that the finance bill is rejected simply implied that President William Ruto’s government has to go home. That would be the end results,” warned Mudavadi.
“The finance bill is not just like any other bill and Kenyans should not take this matter lightly, it isn’t a joke it is a serious matter of great national interest.”
Speaking in Eldama Ravine in Baringo County, Mudavadi said the finance bill is the only basis that gives government the gateway to collect revenue and finance its operations including its development agenda.
He said that parliament has a greater responsibility to the citizens to ensure that that bill sails through keeping in mind that they are the representatives of the people.
“Let us remain democratic and united as we are and realise that the best way to reconstruct our economy is for us to generate and create more resources at home,” he said.
Mudavadi reminded Kenyans that for any government in place there are only two options of financial survival, either to borrow and drown in debt or tax its people and generate adequate revenue.
Adding that the Kenya Kwanza administration inherited a government under a severe state of a dilapidated economy, and time is here to fix the mess and move the country forward to prosperity.
“I warned Kenyans that the economy we inherited as a government will take us at least three years to fix it before Kenyans begin to feel the sigh of relief, and this has come to pass.
We were in a hole and President Ruto has stood firm that we can no-longer continue digging but look for ways of coming out of that crisis.”
“We are working on sealing the loopholes of corruption and cutting on expenditure as government.
We cannot live on debt and manage to finance our development agenda. We have to be pragmatic and boost our locally generated revenue,” he emphasized.
Mudavadi explained that the finance bill fiasco has been there since time in memorial when he was the finance minister during the late retired President Daniel Moi’s regime, and noted that even then demonstrations were the order of the day.
However, he noted that what the current administration is working on is to enlighten the citizens and bring all matters on the discussion table on how government intends to collect and utilize the taxes it gets from the citizens.
“During my tenure there was a common phrase of no reforms no budget.
The finance bill is not an easy bill and even as those who are demonstrating exercise their constitutional rights, citizens must understand that what we are focusing on is transparency, accountability and for all to be part of the discussion.”
He urged Kenyans to remain focused as the government is working to better the lives of all citizens.
He was in Eldama Ravine where he presided over the groundbreaking exercise for the construction of the Kenya Medical Training college and the National Government Constituency Development Fund, NG-CDF offices.
Present were Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, MPs Musa Sirma (Eldama Ravine), Reuben Kiborek (Mogotio), Kassim Tandaza (Matuga), Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North), NG-CDF Chair Alago Aluoch and Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa among other local leaders.
