Nairobi Woman representative Esther Passaris who is allied to Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has openly supported the controversial housing levy proposed by President William Ruto in the Finance Bill 2023.
The Nairobi Women Representative while speaking during an interview with KTN on Tuesday, June 6 said the country needs to get rid of slums through Affordable Housing.
“Even in Azimio, we contained the need to have decent houses in our manifesto. There is an outcry from a lot of people but without pain, there is no gain. We need to eliminate slums. I support the Housing policy,” she said.
The legislator attributed the cases of crime in Kenya to the growing rate of slums, adding that the Country’s capital should not have huge malls, yet people live in slums.
“Let us give the government benefit of the doubt and pray the government deals decisively.”
Also Read: Raila is the Father of the Housing Levy – Lawyer Ahmednassir
Moreover, Passaris noted that the government needs to avoid corruption to collect the funds.
She further called on the state to invest in civic education to clear the air of misconception.
The legislator supported the fund even as Azimio leader Raila Odinga cautioned Azimio MPs against voting for the bill.
Mr. Odinga strongly rejected the Housing Fund Proposal saying it is a punishment to Kenyans.
“The tsunami of taxes in that bill will bury everyone, especially the jobless youth and the poor struggling down at the bottom. The Bill is a promissory note to strangle and suffocate the hustlers that Ruto promised to remove the rope from their necks,” Raila said.
He further noted that the proposals in the Finance Bill 2023 are a sharp contrast to the promises made by Ruto during the campaigns when he said he would lower the cost of living by reducing taxes.
Nonetheless, President William Ruto has maintained that he wants the Finance Bill to pass because it will be beneficial to Kenyans.