Wetangula refers President Ruto's Finance Bill memo to Finance committee for review

Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula has referred President Ruto's Memorandum on the Finance Bill to the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning.

In a notification on Thursday, Wetangula said the committee is required to expeditiously commence consideration of the President's Memorandum, its reservations, and recommendation, and report to the House at the next regular sitting upon its resumption.

"I hereby refer the President's Memorandum of Referral in respect of the Finance Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 30 of 2024) to the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning," reads the notification in part.

According to the Standing Order of the National Assembly, if a message from the President is received at a time when the House is not sitting, the Speaker must immediately cause the message to be sent to each member and report the message to the House on the day it next sits.

"When a message from the President is read, the message shall be deemed to have been laid before the House and the Speaker may either direct that the message be dealt with forthwith, or appoint a day for the consideration of the message, or refer the message to the relevant committee of the House for consideration," reads the Standing Order 42(3).

This means that the earliest the House can consider the President Ruto's memorandum asking MPs to strike out the entire provisions of the Finance Bill 2024 is July 22, 2024 following the House's recess on Thursday.

The National Assembly proceeded to a month-long recess on Thursday morning after MPs passed a motion to deploy the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to assist police in quelling unrest after youth-led protests led to the invasion of Parliament.

As a result, Speaker Wetangula directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to circulate the notification to all 349 MPs of the implications of President's Ruto action.

The clerk will also prepare the necessary message for formal conveyance to the House upon its resumption.

While addressing the nation at State House Nairobi on Wednesday, President Ruto declined to assent to the bill, saying that he heard the cry of citizens who were urging him to drop the bill.

"Having reflected on the continuing conversation around the content of the Finance Bill 2024, and listening keenly to the people of Kenya, who have said loudly they don't want anything to do with this Finance Bill 2024.

"I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn and I have agreed with these members that this becomes our collective position," Ruto said.

Later in the evening, the Head of State formally communicated to the National Assembly to delete all clauses of the Finance Bill, 2024.

"In exercise of the powers conferred to me by Article 115(1)(b) of the Constitution, and having reservations on the content of the Bill in its entirety, I decline to assent to the Finance Bill, 2024, and refer the bill for reconsideration by the National Assembly with the recommendation for deletion of the clauses thereof," reads the memorandum in part.

This means the bill has been withdrawn, and now it can only be reinstated if at least two-thirds of the 349 MPs (which is 233 MPs) vote to overturn the decision.