Azimio leader Raila Odinga on Thursday, June 8th, called on President William Ruto to discard the Finance Bill and offer an apology to Kenyans.
The opposition chief proffered strategies that he believed would reduce the cost of living that has battered the Nation. Raila asserted that his recommendations would be beneficial to the economy without imposing any extra taxes on the people. Mr Odinga encouraged Ruto to stop the duplication of duties and responsibilities for counties, arguing the Ministry of Health is consuming a lot of public funds despite health being a devolved function.
Raila presented a suggestion to the President to employ a zero-based budgeting technique without referring to any other budgets used by his predecessors. In line with decreasing the cost of living, Raila proposed that Ruto should review the budget scheduled for Thursday, June 15 and close off any loopholes leading to the loss of revenue instead of increasing taxes.
“Do not impose new taxes, seal the loopholes that lead to the loss of revenue,” Raila Odinga said.
The Azimio leader criticised the state’s decision to appoint Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs), lamenting that the move is akin to spending beyond one’s means. On March 23, 2024, the High Court issued a ruling that these individuals could not take up their roles until a court case by the Law Society of Kenya and Katiba Institute had been resolved. The petitioners claimed that Ruto made 50 appointments instead of the suggested 27.
Justice Ong’undi, who presided over the case, issued a temporary prohibition on the designated CASs from receiving any salary, payment, or other compensations until the court had given its judgement. The former Prime Minister also appealed to the President to decrease the size of his administration, pointing out that the extra officials were adding to the costs by amplifying the salary expenditure.
Raila dared Ruto to cut non-essential trips abroad and domestically. This proposition came out after information surfaced that the Head of State was asking for almost Ksh2 billion for international trips.
