Finance Bill 2026 Passed as 122 MPs Vote Yes and 40 Reject It

The National Assembly has approved the Finance Bill 2026 after Members of Parliament voted in favour of the proposed law during the Third Reading held on Thursday evening.

A total of 122 MPs supported the Bill, while 40 voted against it. No member abstained from the vote.

Speaker Moses Wetang’ula announced the results after the voting exercise, saying 103 MPs voted electronically in support of the Bill, while 19 votes were cast manually. On the opposing side, 36 MPs voted electronically and four voted manually.

The approval of the Bill came after days of heated debate between government leaders and opposition figures over its impact on Kenyans.

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah defended the Bill, saying it does not introduce taxes that would hurt ordinary citizens. He dismissed claims that the proposed law targets mobile phone users and mitumba traders.

Finance Committee Chairman Kuria Kimani also maintained that the concerns raised by critics were misleading. According to the committee, more than 100,000 views from members of the public were collected during public participation conducted in 13 counties.

On the other hand, opposition leaders had urged MPs to reject the Bill. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua described the vote as a crucial moment for the country and asked legislators allied to his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) to oppose the proposals.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka also appealed to MPs to put the interests of wananchi first, warning that voters would remember how each legislator voted when the country heads to the next General Election.

With the National Assembly having approved the Finance Bill 2026, attention now shifts to the next stages before the proposed law can fully take effect.

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