The National Assembly's vote on the controversial Finance Bill, 2023 has exposed President William Ruto's superior numerical strength in the house.
On Wednesday, the President's Kenya Kwanza alliance managed to successfully push the Bill through the Second Reading Stage, winning with 176 MPs against 81.
In what was billed as the most consequential bill for Ruto's administration, an analysis of the voting patterns shows that MPs from small parties working with the government played a key role.
For instance, the President's controversial partnership with some of the Azimio-affiliated MPs paid off after the vote managed to split a section of them to deny Azimio la Umoja One Kenya numbers.
It has also emerged that Ruto used the Bill to stamp his authority in the bicameral house after the opposition failed to raise numbers to cross even the 100 MPs mark.
First, the government mobilised all its MPs from Kenya Kwanza to the house except for a few who were out of Nairobi or abroad for official duties.
Out of the 92 MPs who did not show up to vote, an analysis by the Star shows that 71 of them belonged to Azimio la Umoja One Kenya that was opposing the bill.
While some of the Azimio MPs were present in Parliament, they were either barred from accessing the chambers after the division bell was rung or decided to abscond.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga's ODM party alone has 85 MPs, the party would not mobilise all its members to vote against the Bill as some have shifted loyalty to Kenya Kwanza.
Of the 81 MPs who voted against the bill, only 42 were from the ODM party while 16 of them were from Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper party.
Only three Jubilee party MPs voted against the Bill as most of them voted in favour of the Bill while others were absent.
Political analyst Alexander Nyamboga says the President could have penetrated the Azimio camp and used divide and rule to scatter the opposition votes.
"The President is a political master schemer and what I see is that he was determined to deny Azimio MPs to affirm his control of the House," he said.
"What would justify the absence of some MPs who were within the precincts of Parliament deciding not to vote? They indirectly voted in favour of the Bill by simply absconding.''
After last year's polls, President Ruto has expanded his number to 231 MPs in the aftermath of his raid on Raila’s political bastion which saw over thirty MPs defect.
Initially, Azimio had 186 MPs before the President staged an aggressive campaign to poach opposition MPs, dwindling their numbers significantly.
