SIAYA, Kenya — National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson Samuel Atandi has defended the government’s continued borrowing, arguing that public debt remains necessary to finance development projects and address historical inequalities in resource allocation across the country.
Speaking during the launch of a project at Nyajuok Comprehensive School in Siaya County, the Alego Usonga Member of Parliament dismissed criticism from opponents of government borrowing, maintaining that loans are essential for funding infrastructure and public services in regions that were previously left behind.
“I want to tell the opponents of the government that borrowing will continue. We shall continue borrowing because there are problems that must be resolved,” Atandi said.
The legislator argued that Kenya cannot achieve balanced national development without continued investment in areas that have historically received limited public infrastructure and government spending.
According to Atandi, past administrations accumulated debt that was largely invested in selected regions, leaving many parts of the country without adequate roads, schools, health facilities, and other critical public infrastructure.
He said the current administration is committed to ensuring that both tax revenues and borrowed funds are distributed more equitably across the country.
“Atandi said previous governments did not utilise borrowed funds fairly, despite all Kenyans sharing responsibility for repaying the debt through taxes and other government revenues.”
The Budget Committee chair maintained that it would be unfair for regions that did not substantially benefit from earlier debt-financed projects to continue shouldering repayment obligations without receiving comparable development investments.
He noted that the government’s objective is to ensure that every part of the country benefits from national development programmes regardless of political affiliation, geographical location, or historical voting patterns.
“Because all Kenyans, regardless of whether their region directly benefited from past infrastructure projects, are liable for repaying national debt, any future loan disbursements will be distributed equally,” he said.
His remarks come amid ongoing national debate over Kenya’s growing public debt burden and concerns about the sustainability of government borrowing.
The issue has gained renewed attention as the government prepares to implement its Sh4.8 trillion budget for the 2026/27 financial year, which includes significant allocations for debt servicing, development projects, and recurrent expenditure.
Treasury projections indicate that debt repayment obligations continue to consume a substantial share of public resources, with Consolidated Fund Services expected to account for approximately Sh1.5 trillion in the upcoming financial year.
Despite concerns from critics, Atandi insisted that borrowing remains an important tool for financing development, particularly where revenue collections alone cannot meet the country’s infrastructure and service delivery needs.
He reiterated that the government’s focus is not only on securing financing but also on ensuring that development projects are spread across all regions to promote inclusivity and reduce long-standing disparities.
