President William Ruto led his tenure’s first Madaraka Day celebration, , on Thursday, June 1. The the 60th independence commemoration day came eight months after the Kenya Kwanza administration came to power.
However, the event held at Embu Stadium in Embu County had to be closed to the public by 9 am because it was filled beyond capacity.
President Ruto used the national event to address Kenyans about the hot debate around the Finance Bill 2023, particularly the Housing levy, which has attracted criticism from leaders and the public.
“We are truly a trailblazing nation. Many countries struggle in vain to generate a national debate on public financing, taxation, or other policy issues. In Kenya, we have easily sustained intense discourse on the Finance Bill and the Affordable Housing Policy for several weeks now,” the president said.
“The debate has remained issue-oriented, and there is no hint of divisive ethnic rhetoric at all. The cost of living is keeping all leaders, including myself, awake, and this is precisely as it should be,” he added.
But Busia Senator has sued the government and said the proposed bill is unconstitutional.
The head of state said the objective of the Affordable Housing Programme is human dignity and that “it entails liberation of millions of people who live in unhygienic environments without proper sanitation.”
The High Court has certified as urgent a petition filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and four activists seeking to lock the controversial Finance Bill 2023.
1/ pic.twitter.com/urfUM9YT4s— Africana Voice (Formerly Hotseatnews) (@AfricanaVoice) June 5, 2023
“We did not fight for independence to relegate our innocent compatriots to a life of suffering, exclusion, and indignity in slums,” he said.
He said the Bill would generally help raise national income, contrary to what its critics are saying.
“On the misconception around expanding the national tax base, is it about people paying more or more people paying? The answer lies in empowering more Kenyans to enter the taxable income category through intentional efforts to create jobs,” he said.
President Ruto said his Administration is focused on enhancing the country’s national productivity by prioritizing the consolidation, processing, and value addition of agricultural products. He said his government would establish county aggregation and industrial parks in all 47 counties to achieve this.
In addition, he said his government would establish five additional export zones in the next financial year in Sagana, Thika, Njoro, Eldoret, and Busia. They will complement the one in the Athi River.
“Our special economic zones in Dongo Kundu, Naivasha, and Isiolo will act as further catalysts in attracting domestic and international investments,” Ruto said.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told Ruto to ignore his distractions and work for the Kenyans, whom he said are fully behind him. He also supported the controversial Finance Bill 2023, saying it would enable the country to raise revenue and pay its debts.
“We want to urge our leaders to continue supporting the legislative measures the government has proposed in the National Assembly to allow Kenyans to get away from public debt and fund our own development,” Gachagua said.
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