Azimio MPs Storm Out Of Parliament During Affordable Housing Bill Debate
MPs affiliated with the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party walked out of a parliamentary session on Wednesday during discussions on the contentious Affordable Housing Bill, 2023, following the rejection of their proposed amendments.
The Members of Parliament strongly criticized President William Ruto, alleging that he displayed authoritarian behavior by pushing the bill forward despite its unpopularity among Kenyans who are grappling with numerous challenges.
They were puzzled as to why their suggestions regarding the Bill were entirely dismissed, alleging that their fellow lawmakers were following directives from the Executive.
John Mbadi, a nominated Member of Parliament and the National Chairman of the ODM party warned that they might resort to legal action concerning the Bill, which he claimed has been imposed on Kenyans who are not in favor of it.
“What Kenyans are witnessing is dictatorship by President Ruto, this is the real Ruto, a dictator who doesn’t care as long as his interests are served, the housing levy only serves Ruto’s interest,” he lamented.
“He is determined to push it whether Kenyans like it or not, whether they are crying or not. Even the Executive knows it’s not a good Bill, but they are still determined to push it through.”
Multiple Azimio MPs suggested changes to the Bill, such as deducting 1.5% from the net salary rather than the gross salary, among other proposed amendments.
Nevertheless, all of their proposed changes were rejected by the majority faction, who vocally opposed them.
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Junet Mohamed, the Minority Whip, alleged that Parliament was subjected to executive control, expressing concern about the potential for bills to be hurriedly pushed through without proper procedural scrutiny.
“We think if Parliament continues doing business in this manner then we are going to have a problem shortly, but we can’t sit and participate in a rubber stamping process,” said the Suna East legislator.
He additionally asserted that certain Azimio Members of Parliament had been pressured into supporting the Bill, under threat of halting developments in their constituencies.
His counterpart from Rarieda, Otiende Amollo, expressed regret that the bill had been hastily pushed through the legislative process, denying Azimio MPs the opportunity to engage in a debate on it.
He mentioned that the House should assess whether the central government should intervene in housing construction, even though it’s a devolved responsibility, and identify who precisely will benefit from the constructed houses.
“In good faith, we had proposed several amendments but it has become clear to us that the instructions they have is to reject anything that has come from us. The process that is going on is robotic, it’s meaningless, it pre-judged and it was agreed in Naivasha and we see no need in participating in it,” he said.
The proposed legislation smoothly advanced to the Second Reading in the National Assembly following a vote of 141 MPs in favor and 58 against during the Tuesday session.
Azimio MPs Storm Out Of Parliament During Affordable Housing Bill Debate