Kenya’s Finance Bill Passes Second Reading Amidst Nationwide Protest

The contentious Finance Bill has passed a second reading in Kenya’s Parliament on Thursday amidst nationwide protest, leading to the arrest of over 200 Kenyan youths and four journalists.

The parliament debate on the bill was disclosed in a broadcast by Citizen TV Kenya.

During the heated debate, the National Assembly speaker, Moses Wetangula, announced that 115 members of parliament voted against 204 in support, and no legislator abstained from the voting.

Wetangula further announced that the bill would come up again before the entire House next Tuesday.

According to him, during that stage, amendments to the bill will be introduced with the House voting on each clause, after which the bill will undergo a third reading, where a final vote for either approval or rejection will occur.

If there are disagreement on the bill or any proposed amendments, it will be referred to a mediation committee. The committee will work to develop a version of the bill that the House can consider and vote on,” he added.

Also, the House will then debate and vote on the mediated version of the bill, he said.

Among the members of parliament who voted against the Finance Bill was a Gen Z of the House born in 1996, MP Muhammed Umulkher Harun.

Read more: Several People Shot At Juneteenth Celebration In Oakland, California

About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

author

M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

See author's posts