A petition filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah seeking to stop the implementation of the contentious Finance Bill 2023, has been certified as urgent by the High Court.

Justice Hedwig Ong’undi acknowledged the significance of the issues raised in the lawsuit and deemed the matter urgent and deserving of priority in its hearing.

However, the judge refrained from prohibiting the National Assembly from deliberating on and sending the disputed Bill to President William Ruto for his assent.

The court directed Omtatah and his four co-petitioners to serve the Speaker of National Assembly Moses Wetan’gula, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u and the Attorney General Justin Muturi with the suit papers within three days.

She further instructed the above-mentioned State officials to provide their responses to the lawsuit within a period of seven days, specifically before June 19, 2023.