Babu Owino Explains Being Absent During Voting
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino Photo courtesy
Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino has come out to explain why he missed voting on the controversial Finance Bill 2023.
According to the vocal legislator, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula brought about the confusion that saw most Azimio MPs absent during the voting.
As of earlier reports, the voting was scheduled to take place during the third reading next week before the speaker changed his mind thus he lays the blame on the speaker.
“I realised that the Speaker changed and made another ruling that voting was to take place on Wednesday(yesterday). By that time, so many members were depending on the fact that voting will occur next week and that explains why so many members missed, especially from the Azimio Coalition”
He went ahead to assure his supporters that he was strongly opposing the bill and would not support it even under the instruction of Raila since it bears looming disaster for Kenyans.
“I want to state that the Finance Bill 2023 is retrogressive. Even if (ODM party leader) Raila Odinga instructed me to support it, I would not do it because of my allegiance to my people.”
Out of 257 MPs present during the voting, 176 voted yes while 81 legislators voted no. The Bill now goes to the Third and final reading where MPs get a chance to amend some clauses within the Bill.
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