Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara has joined a list of legislators who are opposed to the proposed Housing Levy targeting civil servants.
She said the three percent monthly deduction as proposed by the Finance Bill of 2023 should be voluntary.
The proposal that seeks employees and employers to contribute to the National Housing Development Fund has raised the fury of the opposition and Trade Unions with calls to scrap it.
The Naivasha MP joined the list terming the idea as noble but was quick to note that it should be voluntary as not all civil servants needed houses.
She also termed the proposed tax reviews as unfair at a time when Kenyans were facing harsh economic times, adding that the Kenya Kwanza coalition had called a meeting to address this.
“You cannot tax people who are having problems getting one meal a day and talks are going on to see how we can amend the finance bill,” she said.
Kihara was addressing the press in Mirera High school in Naivasha after handing over a bursary cheque of Sh1.6 million which would go towards supporting needy students.
She admitted that the bursary funds allocated to the constituency which was the largest in the country, were not enough to assist the rising cases of needy students.
The MP said the recent drought coupled with the harsh economic times had affected many parents who could no longer afford school fees.
“Mirera is one of the largest schools in Nakuru county serving tens of students from the nearby Karagita slums and the current bursary allocation is not enough,” she said.
The chair of the Parents Association in the school Naomi Githua admitted that the school which did not charge any fees but had a lunch programme, faced many challenges.
She said the lunch programme kept many of the students from the informal settlement in class, adding that they were seeking support from well-wishers.
Githua termed the proposed tax reviews as an insult to millions of Kenyans who were suffering, adding that the amendments on the finance bill should be shelved.
“We thank the CDF office for coming to the rescue of tens of suffering students and we are calling for support towards the lunch programme as it is critical to learning,” she said.
