Religious leaders from the Nyanza Region have urged parliament to consider the sentiments and feedback from citizens when developing the Finance Bill 2024 to establish a financial and economic dispensation that enables citizens to engage in dignified livelihoods.
National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) Nyanza Region chairperson, Rev. John Mark Godia, commended the National Assembly’s Finance and Budget committee for extensive public participation in the Finance Bill 2024.
This, he says, underscores the importance of incorporating public opinion to ensure that the contested issues are addressed effectively and the enacted bill is people-driven.
Taking citizen engagement input seriously in the important process, Rev. Godia noted, fosters a sense of ownership and increases acceptance of the proposed tax system.
“We urge the committee members to take the sentiments expressed by the citizens seriously. Our position remains that the Finance Bill 2024 should inspire hope, not one that brings frustration and despair by increasing taxes,” Rev. Godia stated.
The government is conducting public participation forums nationwide to gather public views on the proposed Finance Bill 2024. The bill seeks to introduce additional taxes as part of the government’s plan to raise Sh3.9 trillion for the financial year 2024/25.
He made the remarks during the induction workshop for officials elected to the NCCK County Coordinating Committees and the Regional Committee in the Nyanza Region, held on June 10-11 in Kisumu.
Additionally, the Council encouraged the government to work together with all segments of society, including the clerics, to promote unity within communities. They also called for collective efforts to tackle the pressing issues currently affecting the nation.
Rev Godia raised alarms about the deteriorating state of the healthcare sector in the region due to the shortage of medicines and the lingering effects of a prolonged doctors’ strike.
“Quite devastating is that the church-owned and private health facilities have been crippled as a result of the failure of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to remit the funds due to them. We call upon the Cabinet Secretary for Health to speedily address this matter, before transitioning from the NHIF to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF),” he stated.
At the same time, he highlighted the delay in the release of school capitation funds and the recent strike by Junior School teachers, which disrupted the education of the young ones.
“We call upon the Ministry of Education to ensure equality of all counties and schools concerning disbursement of the capitation funds. The Ministry needs to speedily address the strike by Junior School teachers since these learners are expected to do the same exams as the learners whose learning has not been interrupted,” Rev Godia noted.
By Robert Ojwang’
