National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula rejected Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo’s attempt to cancel the withdrawn Finance Bill 2024, saying only an Act of Parliament can be canceled.
Amollo wanted to overturn the Finance Bill, which President Ruto did not sign into law due to public protests.
“The Finance Bill, 2024 is not an Act of Parliament and cannot become an Act of Parliament just by waiting.
Your proposed draft to cancel the Finance Bill, 2024 is therefore not correct under the law,” Wetangula said.
In response to protests by young people, President Ruto decided not to approve the controversial Finance Bill.
Instead, he wrote to the National Assembly asking to remove all parts of the Bill.
Wetangula told members with worries about President Ruto’s letter to speak to committees.
“You can also talk to the Committee about your worries when the Committee presents its report to the House,” he said.
Wetangula said Parliament has changed laws before to do what the President wanted. He said House committees can only suggest changes to a law.
The House Finance and National Planning Committee is handling this.
They should present their report when Parliament meets again on July 23.
Parliament then has 21 days to talk about the report.
Amollo decided to cancel the Bill because he was not sure about the law for what the President wanted to do.
Wetangula said the President’s letter does not say the “Finance Bill” is not there anymore.
He said Amollo is wrong to say the Finance Bill, 2024 would become a law if the President did not sign it in 14 days.
“When a Bill is given to the President to sign, the Constitution gives him 14 days to say yes or no.
The idea that the Finance Bill, 2024 would be a law after 14 days without the President’s yes is not true,” Wetangula said.
The Finance Bill, 2024 finished in the National Assembly, with most of Parliament saying yes in the third vote.
During the full Parliament meeting, 195 MPs said yes to the Bill.
This made protests with many people hurt. The government said more than 25 people died. Human rights people said 41 people died, with more hurt.
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