KISUMU, Kenya, Jun 22 – Siaya Governor James Orengo has urged President William Ruto to reject the Finance Bill and allow fresh parliamentary debate, while rallying support for planned June 25 demonstrations commemorating victims of last year’s anti-government protests.

📻 Breaking It Down

Speaking in Kisumu over the weekend, Orengo, who has emerged as a leading voice of the Linda Mwananchi faction within ODM, questioned the legitimacy of the Finance Bill’s passage, saying many Members of Parliament were absent when the vote was taken.

“I want to thank the members of parliament, patriotic members of parliament, who are drawn across the political divide, who voted against the finance bill,” Orengo said.

The governor argued that lawmakers who walked out of the House before the vote should be counted among those who did not support the legislation.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to him, the number of MPs who opposed the Bill or were absent exceeded those who voted in its favour.

He appealed to President Ruto to reconsider assenting to the Bill, saying Parliament had not fully exercised its constitutional responsibility in debating and deciding on a key financial instrument.

“Knowing what has happened, that the majority of members of parliament did not vote for the finance bill, he should reconsider his decision in assenting to the bill,” he said.

Orengo’s remarks came days before the June 25 anniversary of the Gen Z-led protests that rocked the country in 2024 and left dozens dead and many others injured.

The governor accused security agencies of failing to curb what he described as politically sponsored violence, claiming that criminal gangs were increasingly being used to intimidate critics of the government.

“We either choose to be a democratic and peaceful state, or rather become an autocratic dictatorship, a despotic regime, where violence can be weaponized and used as a tool of ruling the country,” Orengo said.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya