NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 26 – A petition seeking to stop President William Ruto from signing the contentious Finance Bill 2024 has been filed in court.
The petitioners wants the court to stop the president Ruto from signing the bill pending hearing and determination of the application.
They also want a 3-judge bench to be empaneled to hear the matter.
“That a declaration be issued to declare President Ruto 9th Respondent is prohibited under Articles 2,10 and 131(2) of the constitution from assenting to the Finance Bill unless and until the High Court has determined its constitutionality,” read the court papers.
“On account of the willful refusal, neglect and failure by the Finance CS to comply with Article 221(1) of the Constitution, no lawful or effective public participation on the Finance Bill, 2024 has taken place because the Government is effectively asserting powers to raise additional revenue without a budget authorized by the Constitution.”
The petitioners who include lawyers Kibe Mungai, Ndegwa Njiru, Fanya Mambo Kinuthia, Peter Koira, Lempaa Suiyianka and the Mt.Kenya Jurist Association contend that the process was marred by controversy and political contests.
They further opined that it was illegitimate and full of punitive provisions.
The eight lawyers claim the Finance CS had published the estimates of revenue on 4th June, 2024 after the National Assembly Budget Committee had completed public participation hearing and submitted its report.
“The budget-making process has been vitiated by the involvement and dictation of the policy preferences and agenda of foreign governments and corporations spearheaded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which has taken effective control of Kenya’s National Treasury to the detriment of the sovereignty of the Kenyan people in matters of public finance,” said the petitioners.
The Lawyers want the court to declare the Finance Bill 2024 unconstitutional on account of the failure of the Finance Cabinet Secretary to submit to the National Assembly by 30th of April 2024 estimates of the revenue of the national government for the 2024/25 Financial Year.
They also want an order to issued to declared the National Assembly proceedings and resolutions of the National Assembly made on 18th and 19th of June in respect of the Finance Bill.
This comes following after the Finance Bill 2024 on Tuesday 25, 2024 sailed through the National Assembly after 195 Members of Parliament voted in its support.
This was after the proposed amendments were adopted in the bill which has elicited countrywide protests.
During the session, 106 legislators voted to reject it and it now awaits presidential assent.
However, Anti-Finance Bill protests have been witnessed across the country as youth demand the rejection of the Finance Bill, 2024.
The protest began on 18th of June 2024 as the most heated protests were held on 25th of June 2024.
