3
The National Assembly has passed the controversial Finance Bill 2023, which includes the mandatory 1.5% Housing Levy, despite a spirited objection from the minority Azimio side. The vote, which saw MPs allied to President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition rally behind the bill, was preceded by a walkout by Azimio legislators who termed the levy unconstitutional and oppressive. The government argues the levy will fund affordable housing units and create jobs, while critics and trade unions have vowed to challenge it in court, calling it a punitive tax on already strained salaried Kenyans.