Azimio’s Ineffectiveness as Government Watchdog Jeopardizes Finance Bill’s Passage, Warns MP Sylvanus Osoro
Sylvanus Osoro, a member of parliament from South Mugirango, has criticized the opposition coalition party Azimio la Umoja One Kenya for allegedly slacking off on the job.
According to Osoro, who is also the Majority Whip of the National Assembly, Azimio has yet to fully assume its primary responsibility of overseeing the government.
During a panel interview on Citizen TV on Thursday evening, the member of parliament asserted that the opposition political faction’s MPs focus on trivial matters during House debates rather than pulling their weight.
Osoro spoke as he disclosed that the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance MPs in the National Assembly passed the Budget Appropriation Bill on Thursday without the participation of their minority colleagues.
According to him, the opposition legislators were more concerned with heckling Speaker Moses Wetangula as he ruled on an Azimio decision to remove Nominated MP Sabina Chege as the Deputy Minority Whip.
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Osoro went on to imply that Kenya Kwanza legislators will similarly pass the highly contentious Finance Bill, 2023, the following week, presumably without their Azimio counterparts being aware of it because they will be preoccupied with something else.
“We passed the Appropriations Bill for the Budget, and Kenyans need to know. These men (Azimio) are not performing their duties as government watchdogs. We were supposed to be debating the Budget Appropriations Bill, and that is what was happening on the House floor,” he said.
“Azimio is supposed to review the budget estimates as presented by the committee of supply, but they were shouting instead. They only focused on a simple thing they signed voluntarily, a coalition agreement with Jubilee, and forgot about the Appropriations Bill we passed without their input in the afternoon.”
He added, “And next week we will pass the Finance Bill in the same manner; they will again cause drama.”
Osoro also reaffirmed the controversial statements he made in May of this year, in which he asserted that the Finance Bill, 2023 will pass the House floor no matter what.
He stated that his sole responsibility as Majority Whip is to ensure the smooth passage of government business through Parliament.
“As the Majority Whip, I’ve stated and reaffirmed that whatever the majority side gives me before the House floor will pass. Idealistically, it is my responsibility, but that does not mean there is no room for modification. “However, at the stage of passage in the House, it must pass so long as I am a member of that chamber,” he stated.
Azimio’s Ineffectiveness as Government Watchdog Jeopardizes Finance Bill’s Passage, Warns MP Sylvanus Osoro
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