Uhuru taxes vote serves up bitter taste of Handshake

Turkana South MP James Lomenen, joined by his colleagues, addresses the media outside Parliament on September 20, 2018 over the debate on the levy on petroleum products. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Kenyatta has set ambitious targets to deliver universal healthcare and improve manufacturing, food security and social housing during his second term.
  • The March 9 Handshake between the President and his erstwhile rival Raila Odinga, the ODM party leader, has been seen to weaken the opposition.

As was widely expected, President Uhuru Kenyatta had his way pushing through his controversial revised Finance Bill in Parliament on Thursday amid the drama of a section of MPs chanting "Bado mapambano" (The struggle continues), others walking out to deny the House a quorum, and the Temporary Speaker appearing to rig the acclamation vote.

The outcome of the Thursday vote confirms what everyone knew; that the Kenyan Parliament is effectively under Executive capture, which has rendered it too toothless to discharge any of its constitutional roles of representation, legislation and oversight.

The background policy statements and political noise offered still more lessons for Kenyans about the President’s unravelling legacy, Parliament and political party alliances.

1. From Big Four to Big Tax Agenda

Mr Kenyatta has set ambitious targets to deliver universal healthcare and improve manufacturing, food security and social housing during his second term.

But analysts have warned that the many more taxes he has introduced ostensibly to fund the so-called Big Four programmes are likely to drive companies out of business, trigger job losses, stretch middle class household budgets, push the poor further into destitution and undermine efforts to meet his targets.

The sense of futility effectively redefines the President’s legacy from Big Four Agenda to Big Tax Agenda.

2. First bitter taste of the Handshake

The March 9 Handshake between the President and his erstwhile rival Raila Odinga, the ODM party leader, has been seen to weaken the opposition.

Despite Mr Odinga insisting publicly that he still leads the opposition, a number of his ODM MPs have been acting more Jubilee than Jubilee when it comes to parroting the ruling party lines.

On Thursday, Kenyans had the first bitter taste of the Handshake in Parliament when Mr Odinga’s trusted lieutenants John Mbadi and Junet Mohamed led a walkout by a group of MPs to deny the House a quorum and ease passage of the Uhuru taxes. Who needs MPs if you have the Speaker?

It is tempting for critics of the Uhuru taxes to tar all MPs with the same brush.

HONESTY

There are even suggestions that the loud opposition heard from the majority of MPs in Parliament on Thursday was stage-managed to endear themselves to their voters when they knew only too well that they didn’t have the numbers from the start.

Depending on who was counting, at least 116 MPs strangely went MIA. But it would still be too cynical to doubt the honesty of many MPs who consistently opposed the Bill publicly even after attempts by their party leaders to whip everyone into the line.

In the end it came down to some very controversial decisions from the chair, highlighted by the Temporary Speaker at some stage declaring ‘the Ayes have it’ when the ‘Nays’ were clearly more during the acclamation vote.

Who really needs MPs in that Parliament if you can have the Speaker?