Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has instructed Members of Parliament aligned with his party to vote against the Finance Bill 2026 during today’s key vote in the National Assembly.
In a statement, Gachagua called the vote “a defining moment for the people of the Republic of Kenya,” saying it would show whether MPs back measures that “oppress the people more or care for them.”
He directed DCP-allied MPs to reject the Bill and remain in the House to demand a division, a process that would record each legislator’s vote publicly. “There is no neutral position when the welfare of the people of Kenya is at stake. You are either for the people of Kenya or against them,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua also warned that MPs who skip the vote or “sit on the fence” would be viewed as opposing the people of Kenya.
The remarks come before the Third Reading of the Finance Bill 2026, which is expected to generate revenue for the government’s budget. The Bill passed the Second Reading stage on Tuesday despite objections from opposition MPs, who say it introduces punitive taxes that will burden ordinary Kenyans, while the government argues there are no major new taxes.
The opposition, led by Rigathi Gachagua and others, says the Bill is oppressive and will worsen hardships for struggling Kenyans. They argue that it protects government excess instead of addressing the high cost of living.
The Government, however, maintains that the proposed changes are mainly administrative measures intended to close loopholes and raise the required Ksh 3.5 trillion in revenue without imposing broad new taxes.
The Bill has triggered intense debate over several contentious provisions, including new taxes and levies on digital transactions, mobile money and fintech services, the reclassification of mitumba, or second-hand clothes, which would raise costs for traders, a 25% excise duty on imported mobile phones, expanded powers for KRA to attach bank accounts even where taxpayers have appealed, and new taxes on virtual assets and digital platforms.