Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka now says his first action, if he wins the 2027 general elections, is to repeal the contentious Housing Levy.
In a statement via X on Tuesday, January 30, Kalonzo argued that the money collected by the current administration from the Housing Levy is reserved for illicit political purposes.
“As President, my first Executive Order will be to repeal the Housing Levy, which is a Slush Fund,” Kalonzo made it clear.
His remarks come days after the Court Of Appeal upheld the High Court decision declaring the levy constitutional.
A three-judge bench comprised of Justices Lydia Achode, John Mativo, and Mwaniki Gachoka argued that the government does not have a legal basis for making deductions as per the Finance Act 2023’s amendment to the Employment Act 2007.
“The trial Court held that the Housing Levy was introduced without a legal framework. It also held that the levy was targeting a section of Kenyans. In our view, public interest lies in awaiting the determination of the appeal.
“This is because if the stay sought is granted at this stage, should the appellate Court affirm the impugned decision, then some far-reaching decisions that will have been undertaken pursuant to the impugned laws may not be reversible,” the judges explained.
Speaking after the ruling President William Ruto said the Court of Appeal should have given the government the chance to complete creating a law guiding the affordable housing project.
However, the Head of State insisted that he will go on with the housing project saying it will create job opportunities for the youth in the country.
“I want to say for the avoidance of doubt we are already making the law that the court authorised that we go and make. They should have given us a chance to complete the law but we are going to complete the law and we are going to go forward with making sure we create opportunities for jobs for the young people of our country because that is what the people of Kenya want. That is the right thing to do and that is where the public interest is,” said Ruto.
Also Read: Why President Ruto Is Bullying The Judiciary- Eric Theuri
