Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has blamed National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula for the mishap that saw Azimio MPs skip Parliament on Wednesday evening during the voting of the proposed Finance Bill, 2023.

The lawmaker in a video posted on his official social media handles says the original plan from the Parliamentary leadership was for the voting process to take place next week after the third reading, only for speaker Wetang’ula to change tune moments after a section of Azimio MPs had left.

The controversial lawmaker read malice in the situation, pointing out that several MPs from the Azimio la Umoja coalition missed out on the voting process because of the initial directive. 

Babu Owino said he missed the voting since he had arranged to meet his lawyer to prepare for his defence hearing at Milimani Law Courts slated for Thursday, June 15, following Wetang’ula’s earlier communication. 

He says he had already consulted with Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi whom he disclosed that he had to prepare for his court case.

“I was not present today (Wednesday) in Parliament because my case has been scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) in court for defense hearing and I was with my lawyer,” he said.

Out of 257 MPs present at the August House, 176 voted for the bill while 81 legislators voted against it during the second reading. The Bill now moves to the Third and final reading where legislators get a chance to amend certain clauses within the Bill. 

The Finance Bill, 2023, was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, June 13, by the National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee. 

The committee, chaired by Molo MP Kuria Kimani, advocated for certain amendments in the Bill to cater to the concerns raised by the public. 

This involved reduction of the Housing Fund tax from three percent to 1.5 percent. Further, the proposed digital tax was revised to five percent from the initial 16 percent.