How Duale and Mbadi Colluded to Trick MPs to Pass the Controversial Finance Bill 2018

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We all remember the controversial passage of the Finance Bill 2018. Majority leader Aden Duale and his Minority counterpart John Mbadi colluded to trick members to pass the controversial legislation that would introduce tax on fuel, data bundles, among other commodities.

President Uhuru Kenyatta had rejected the Finance Bill, 2018, which would have seen the 16 per cent tax on petroleum products shelved until 2020.

The contentious Bill was finally adopted by Parliament due to shrewd moves by Duale and those who were allied to the plan.

Sensing that members were preparing to shoot down the Bill, the speaker of the day Soipan Tuya ingeniously ordered a fresh vote before Duale chipped in with a cunning move to rally MPs out of the chamber.

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At least 233 MPs were required to vote against the bill to shoot it down. Duale ensured there was a lack of quorum.

The House leaders had been asked by President Uhuru Kenyatta to ensure the Bill was passed in an arduous test on their leadership.

The stakes were high as the President had planned to sign the Bill into law on Friday, before leaving for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

The burden was on the House leadership to execute the mission. Uhuru assented to the Bill on Friday morning. Aware of the acid test he was facing, Duale used strong-arm tactics to push the Bill through.

Aware of the pressure from the anti-VAT brigade, Duale hatched a plot to deny the opponents the requisite two-thirds majority necessary to overturn the President’s reservations.

Immediately, temporary speaker Soipan Tuya called for division, Duale signalled some of the backers of the Bill to walk out of the chambers. A count afterwards showed there were only 215 lawmakers in the House.

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