Nairobi — Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has defended Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over comments he made about the Finance Bill 2023, saying that his comments were taken out of context.

Passaris speaking to KTN on Tuesday said that Gachagua did not specify that the places where MPs oppose the Finance Bill 2023 will not be included in the budget for infrastructure.

"There is a different way to take English, it is not our mother tongue, and it is complex. It is like we need the taxes to be able to build roads, but I did not hear him say specifically that if you don't support this Finance Bill, you will not get any support in terms of infrastructure," she said.

Passaris also said that politicians would still have access to funding whether the MPs approved the legislation or not.

"We have structures and laws; we've got equalization fund, devolution and there will be counties that will not support the bill but at the end of the day, the MPs have a right of access to funds... That was a misquote," she added.

Gachagua on Sunday during a church service in Narok, said Members of Parliament who oppose the Finance Bill will not be financed for projects in their areas.

"There is a lot of incitement around this whole Finance Bill issue. I was in Kitui yesterday and their MP spoke about cessation and people were clapping. And then soon after he was telling me they need roads, where does he expect the money to build roads to come from?" Gachagua said.

Passaris speaking to KTN on Tuesday said that Gachagua was not specific that the areas where MPs oppose the Finance Bill 2023 will be left out of the infrastructure budget.

"There is a different way to take English, it is not our mother tongue, and it is complex. It is like we need the taxes to be able to build roads, but I did not hear him say specifically that if you don't support this Finance Bill, you will not get any support in terms of infrastructure," she said.

Passaris also implied that politicians would still have access to funding whether the MPs approved the legislation or not.

"We have structures and laws; we've got equalization fund, devolution and there will be counties that will not support the bill but at the end of the day, the MPs have a right of access to funds... That was a misquote," she added.