Senator Okiya Omtatah and activist Eliud Karanja Matindi have filed a case challenging the 2024 Finance Bill, which proposes to tax Kenyans to fund a Ksh 3.9 trillion budget.
Mr. Omtatah and Mr. Matindi claim in the case filed in the High Court that the bill infringes on Kenyans’ rights.
The two have detailed how the bill aims to oppress Kenyans and violate their rights, including the introduction of various taxes that will lead to an increase in the prices of goods such as bread.
The complainants are asking the High Court to completely halt the discussion of this bill and to seek public opinion.
“If the National Assembly discusses this bill and passes it into law and it is signed by President William Ruto, it will be difficult to repeal,” says the document submitted to the court by Mr. Omtatah and Mr. Matindi.
To spare Kenyans from bearing the heavy burden of paying taxes, Mr. Omtatah and Mr. Matindi have asked the court to stop the National Assembly from discussing the bill and to prevent any steps towards seeking public opinion on the bill.
Mr. Omtatah, a staunch politician, has requested Chief Justice Martha Koome to appoint a panel of at least three judges to hear and decide on this case, which they argue has legal merit.
Mr. Omtatah and Mr. Matindi also request the court to declare the 2024 Finance Bill, published in the Government Gazette Number 102 of 2024, illegal.
In this case, Mr. Omtatah has sued Finance Minister Njuguna Ndung’u and the Attorney General.
He asks that the public not be allowed to participate in the approval of this bill, which he claims oppresses Kenyans from various walks of life.
