Finance Bill 2024 is dead, buried, and will not return – Mbadi

National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has assured Kenyans that the Finance Bill 2024 will not be reintroduced.

Speaking on Thursday, Mbadi confirmed that the bill, which contained offensive clauses will not see the light of day.

"We are not bringing back the Finance Bill 2024, that should go out very clearly. It is dead, it is buried, and it is withdrawn. There is no space under my regime as Treasury CS and I have made it clear to the President that it cannot be brought back under my leadership as a CS," Mbadi explained during an interview at Citizen TV.

However, the CS noted that some of the clauses in the withdrawn Finance Bill 2024 were beneficial and will be brought back not at this point, but in the future.

Mbadi urged Kenyans to be prepared for new legislation as it is part of governance and encouraged people to always be part of the public participation process.

"Legislations will be there, what we must emphasise and push is public participation," he added.

The Occupy Parliament protests began in June and July in response to the Finance Bill of 2024.

On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Occupy Parliament demonstrators broke past parliament barricades to resist the adoption of the Finance Bill, 2024, which MPs passed that morning with 195 votes to 106 against it.

Parliament was breached, resulting in offices being set on fire, valuable items being vandalised, including critical equipment used to facilitate August House sittings, flags being destroyed, and windows being broken.

Property valued at Sh94 million was destroyed during the incident.

President Ruto gave in to pressure and refused to sign the Finance Bill, stating that he had heard the cries of citizens pleading with him to withdraw the bill.

"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.

Ruto formally communicated to the National Assembly to delete all clauses of the Finance Bill, 2024, which was done by the House.

In the two months, at least 50 people were killed in the protests, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

The protests also piled pressure on President William Ruto to resign as well as sack his cabinet.

On July 11, 2024, he dismissed the entire Cabinet save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to pave the way for the formation of a "broad-based Government".

The Head of State later formed a cabinet, bringing four Raila Odinga members into his broad-based government while retaining ten of those from the previous one.

They include Aden Duale ( Environment), Eric Muuga (Water), Davis Chirchir (Transport), Margaret Nyambura ( ICT) and Andrew Karanja ( Agriculture), Kithure Kindiki ( Interior), Dr Deborah Barasa (Health), Soipan Tuya (Defence), Alice Wahome (Lands), Julius Ogamba (Education), Dorcas Oduor ( Attorney General) and Beatrice Askul (EAC).

Others are John Mbadi (Treasury), Salim Mvurya (Trade), Rebecca Miano (Tourism), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), and Kipchumba Murkomen (Sports), Ali Hassan Joho (Mining), Alfred Mutua (Labour), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives) and Justin Muturi (Public Service).

They were all vetted and approved by the National Assembly save for Soi Langat who had been nominated to the Gender docket but was rejected.

President Ruto has yet to name another nominee for the docket.