Msambweni MP Feisal Bader takes oath as parliament debates tax cuts

Msambweni MP Feisal Bader (centre) takes oath in the National Assembly. [Courtesy]

Feisal Abdalla Bader has been sworn in as the new Msambweni Member of Parliament.

Bader took oath in the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, administered by the Speaker Justin Muturi, amid chants from fellow parliamentarians.

The MP vowed to perform his duties as required by the law and not fail his constituents.

“Nitakuwa mwaminifu na mtifiu kwa katiba ya Kenya. Nitatekeleza majukumu yangu kwa uaminifu. (I will obey, respect, uphold, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya and that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge the duties of a Member of Parliament), he said.

Bader oath documents after being sworn in as the MP for Msambweni: The seat fell vacant following the death of Suleiman Dori in March 2020. [Courtesy]

Bader, an independent candidate won the hotly-contested by-election last week, trumping his closest challenger, ODM’s Omar Boga.

In his acceptance speech, he thanked voters for believing in him and extended an olive branch to his opponents, promising to work together with them to improve the constituency.

"I want to thank the people of Msambweni for believing in me. I want to thank all the people who walked with me through to victory. We will work with our opponents for the sake of our constituency," he said.

The seat fell vacant following the death of Suleiman Dori in March 2020, who died while undergoing treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa.

Bader’s administration of oath was among the business the House was conducting in a special sitting today after being recalled from December recess.

The MPs are debating the planned reversal of key tax rates among other laws.

They are discussing 13 bills, among them the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020,  in which the mover Finance and National Planning Committee chair Gladys Wanga, seeks to reverse the tax rates to the Income Tax Act, Cap. 470, [(Pay as You Earn (PAYE)], Corporation Tax and the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, 2013, to the rates that existed pre-Covid.

During the debate, Garissa Township MP Aden Duale was concerned that the tax laws came about as a result of pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Duale said that in order to close the gap between the budget and projected revenues, Parliament had to make a decision and fast.

“In my opinion, the economy is in the ICU. We have to make a choice. Do we remove the machines so that the economy collapses or do we pass this bill in the hope that it can survive for a few months in anticipation of the pandemic getting off? he posed.

The lawmakers also debating The Constitution Amendment Bill, 2020, The Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Judicial Service (Amendment) Bill, 2020- among others.