Kenyan President William Ruto has declined to assent to the Finance Bill, 2024.
Ruto has returned the bill to Parliament with proposed amendments for consideration before their recess on Wednesday.
Parliament has the option to amend the bill in response to the president’s concerns or pass it again without changes.
In his return of the bill, the president will highlight key areas needing alteration.
If MPs amend the bill to fully address the president’s reservations, the speaker will resend it to Ruto for assent.
If Parliament considers the president’s reservations but passes the bill a second time, either without amendments or with amendments not fully addressing his concerns, it must have the support of two-thirds of the members.
With MPs set to go on recess from Thursday until July 23, the speaker may need to recall them if the president returns the document during this period.
Some of the tax proposals initially included in the bill, such as a 16 percent VAT on bread, excise duty on vegetable oil, VAT on sugar transportation, a 2.5 percent motor vehicle tax, and an eco levy on locally manufactured products, have been removed.
The bill passed the committee of the whole house after these amendments were made.
This committee format allows for detailed examination of each clause, ensuring thorough consideration before the bill progresses to subsequent stages of legislative review.