How Your MPs Actually Voted For Finance Bill 2024 [NUMBERS & NAMES]

After it sailed through a majority vote in the National Assembly on Thursday, June 20, the Finance Bill 2024 will now be taken to the Committee Stage.

It was initially announced that 204 MPs voted in favour of progressing the Bill and 115 voted against it, with zero abstentions. This followed the Second Reading session that involved legislators making their remarks about the Bill.

Mzalendo Watch made public the identities of the lawmakers and their stance on the Finance Bill. Viral Tea would later collate this data and found out that there were a few absentees when voting took place on Thursday afternoon…the protests in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) and across the country led by Gen Zs notwithstanding.

From our findings using the Mzalendo Watch data, 198 MPs voted in favour of the Finance Bill while 112 voted against it, an increase from last year’s voting on the Finance Bill 2023 which saw 162 MPs voting in favour of the Bill and 74 against it.

21 MPs were absent from the voting this year, a drop from 24 last year. One MP was unwell, Tubi Mohamed, though it was indicated that he communicated with Speaker Moses Wetangula.

Hover to see the number of MPs who voted for and against the Finance Bill:

And in true, digital and Gen Z fashion, Viral Tea has created an interactive table where you can easily search for the name of your MP who was present for the voting. Notably, 332 MPs were present for the voting exercise.

Here is the interactive table showing the names of MPs and how they voted on the Finance Bill:

The Committee Stage: What Happens Next?

During the committee stage, the normal House sitting will be turned into a committee-like session. However, compared to the normal sessions mostly chaired by Speaker Wetangula, the session on Tuesday, June 25 will be led by Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei or a member of the Speaker’s Panel.

During this stage, MPs will go through the entire Bill, clause by clause as they take a vote on the amendments that were recommended by the Finance Committee. Here, the lawmakers will be also able to propose their amendments, given that the lawmakers were required to submit their amendments to the clerk by Thursday, June 20 in the afternoon.

Each amendment will be proposed and a vote taken on it. For instance, an MP may propose to have the Eco Levy removed from the Bill completely.

“If the amendment is passed, it becomes part of the Bill. After consideration of the Bill at the Committee of the Whole House stage, the Sponsor of the Bill moves a motion seeking that the Chairperson report the consideration of the Bill to the House.

“In the event that the Committee is unable to conclude consideration of the Bill, the Sponsor moves a Motion that the Committee reports to House the progress made thus far on the Bill,” Parliament detailed.

What Next After Committee Stage

Reading Stage

After the Committee of the whole House concludes the exercise, the chairperson, who was leading the Committee Stage, will report on the exercise undertaken.

Thereafter, a Motion for Agreement with the Report of the committee of the whole House will be moved, seconded and a question put to the MPs before the Bill moves to the Third Reading.

A Motion for Agreement seeks approval of the House with the form in which the Committee of the whole House has considered the Bill.

Third Reading

This is the last step and mainly involves passing the Bill, which paves the way for submission to President William Ruto, who can decide whether to assent to it or not.

Once the President assents to it, the Bill will become the Finance Act 2024 with the tax proposals coming into effect on July 1, 2024. Therefore, should the Act contain tax elements that touch on fuel, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) will be releasing new pump prices on June 30.

President William Ruto signs into law the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2024 on April 24, 2024. /PCS

What If Ruto Refuses To Sign?

In rare cases, should the President refuse to assent to it, he gives his reservations which are to be debated by lawmakers.

According to the Constitution’s Article 115, Clause 2-6 on Presidential assent and referral, the following are the procedures taken by Parliament when a bill is rejected:

1. Amend the Bill in light of the President’s reservations
2. Pass the Bill a second time without amendment.

If Parliament amends the Bill fully accommodating the President’s reservations, the appropriate Speaker shall re-submit it to the President for assent.

The Parliament, after considering the President’s reservations, may pass the Bill a second time, without amendment, or with amendments that do not fully accommodate the President’s reservations, by a vote supported:

1. By two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly
2. Two-thirds of the delegations in the Senate, if it is a Bill that requires the approval of the Senate.

If Parliament has passed a Bill under clause (4) of the Constitution:

1. The appropriate Speaker shall within seven days re-submit it to the President
2. The President shall within seven days assent to the Bill.

If the President does not assent to a Bill or refer it back within the period prescribed in clause (1) of the constitution, or assent to it under clause (5) section (b), the Bill shall be taken to have been assented to on the expiry of that period.