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The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has vowed to take disciplinary action against members who supported the Finance Bill, 2023.
The Raila Odinga-led party also says it will punish lawmakers who were absent during the voting exercise.
This comes a day after MPs voted for the Finance Bill in its Second Reading, with 176 supporting it and only 81 opposing.
In a statement on Thursday, June 15, the Party's Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said that four members supported the report while 24 others were absent during the voting.
ODM identified Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, Wahir South MP Aden Adow, Gem MP Elisha Ochieng, and Suba South MP Caroli Omondi voted in favor of the report.
"The Party is in receipt of many complaints from its general membership regarding the conduct of its members of National Assembly during yesterday's vote on the Finance Bill, 2023," ODM said.
"The Party has therefore commenced disciplinary proceedings against the members."
The Standard has also seen a letter from the party's National Vice Chair Johnes Mwashushe, asking Passaris to explain her conduct during the voting process. She has 48 hours to respond.
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"The Party is in receipt of a complaint regarding your conduct at the National Assembly on June 14, during voting on the Finance Bill, 2023 whose particulars are within your knowledge. Your said conduct was a betrayal of the trust bestowed upon you by the Party and more importantly by the People who elected you and in open violation of the stated position of the Party and the Azimio Coalition on the matter," the letter dated June 15 reads in part.
"By this letter, you are hereby given the notice to show cause in writing within forty-eight (48) hours as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against you."
About a week ago, Passaris defended Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's remarks that appeared to indicate the government will not provide funds for projects such as roads to constituencies whose MPs refuse to support the contentious Finance Bill, 2023.
The DP, who spoke at a church in Kitui County, said the government is banking on the controversial Bill to make revenue and therefore, MPs should support it if they expect to get development funds, remarks Passaris now says were taken out of context.
She pointed out that although taxes are necessary for infrastructure development, Gachagua did not explicitly say rejecting the Finance Bill would mean some constituencies and regions would not get funds, from the central government, to finance their infrastructure.
"I did not hear him specifically state that if you don't support this Bill you won't receive any infrastructure support," she said.
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