Former Miss President contestant and Isiolo North MP aspirant Hon. Lucy Mworia,HSC has applauded the ongoing anti finance bill 2024 protests calling on members of parliament to reject the bill in totality when it comes for voting on the floor of the house.
The bill, which last week sailed through its second reding stage has elicited widespread condemnation with millions of youths in the country leading nationwide demonstrations against its passing into law.
Mworia, who is a renowned women leader, educationalist and older persons rights activist. noted that she was in support you the Gen Z protests and will continue to encourage them emphasizing that their efforts are not in vain.
“The whole of last week, we witnessed the courage of our young people, the Gen Z and the millennials over the debating of the Finance bill 2024 in the National Assembly, these young Kenyans rose and demonstrated to the world that indeed, Kenya belongs to the people,” Moria said.
“Gen Z courageously stepped up and out to speak and demand to be heard. They demanded boldly for the total rejection of the punitive and harsh Finance Bill 2024 which seeks to introduce a raft of taxes that are hardly beneficial to an already crippled economy and I join the country in applauding these young men and women for standing up to raise their voice and demand for accountability and a governance that listens to the citizens,” she continued.
The Isiolo leader also offered insights into the ill effects of the bill to Isiolo County noting that the bill seeks to remove tax exemptions from the tourism sector and with tourism as a growing industry in Isiolo, the finance bill 2024 impedes the growth of our county.
She also weighed in on the proposed increase in Eco Levy meaning that there will be increased taxation on sanitary towels and baby diapers that are not locally made.
Mworia maintained that with Kenya lacking the industrial capability to produce enough sanitary towels and diapers locally and a large percentage are imported, increasing Eco levy and taxing on their import is going to cause an increase in the prices of sanitary towels and diapers, products which are already unavailable and hard to get for many people in our society.
On land lease proposals, Mworia said; “Did you know that if this bill passes, your parcel of land, the plot that you have struggled to buy, that land you have inherited and any other will become leased land? That should you fail to pay the prescribed fees or land rates charged, the government can auction it? Therefore, if this bill passes, Kenyans will literally cease to be land owners while we well know that majority of Kenyans are farmers practicing crop cultivation or livestock keeping.”
Mworia wondered why instead of the government cutting on its expenditure on unnecessary budgets and put up a fight against corruption, they have chosen to increase taxes that will ultimately be misused and embezzled.
“Until we see positive change and progress in our country, they should not increase anything. I am extremely disappointed by the decision of our elected leaders from Isiolo county who intentionally ignored the cries of Kenyans who trusted and elected them to parliament and voted YES to the killer bill. I can only hope that in the upcoming 2027 general election, the Gen Z , the Millennials and the other voters will stand only with those who are integral and stand by their word and mostly wish the best for their people,” Mworia said.
The finance Bill 2024 sailed through its second reading last Thursday, after 204 MPs voted YES for its passing while 115 voted NO. The bill will be put on its third reading and is expected to be put to a vote in the committee of the whole house on Tuesday 25 June when Gen Z have called for another mass protest against the bill which if passed, President William Ruto will sign it to law.