NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 11-Former Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Ndindi Nyoro was the subject of discussion as the National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohammed strongly criticized him over alleged skewed budget allocations.
The leaders accused the Kiharu MP of using his position to distribute resources unfairly, favoring his constituency and allies at the expense of other regions.
The heated discussion came ahead of tomorrow’s committee leadership elections, and concerns were raised about fairness and transparency in the budget process.
MP Junet questions the benchmarking trips by MPs to Kiharu.
Ichung’wah, who previously chaired the Budget and Appropriations Committee, condemned what he termed as the blatant abuse of the budget-making process by committee members.
He decried instances where certain constituencies received disproportionate funding, while others were left out.
“It is sad that a county that was slated to benefit from public participation gets a meager Kshs. 10 million, while another county, where a member of the Budget Committee sits, receives Kshs. 250 million,” Ichung’wah lamented.
He warned the newly reconstituted Budget Committee that Parliament would not allow members to use their positions to enrich themselves or direct funds to their constituencies at the expense of others.
“This House will not sit back and allow members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee to allocate money only to their constituencies. Every MP represents people who deserve their fair share of resources,” he added.
Junet Mohammed echoed Ichung’wah’s sentiments, questioning how one county could receive Kshs. 12 billion, while an entire region was allocated only Kshs. 60 million.
He accused the committee of turning public participation into a sham, using it as an excuse to divert funds to their preferred projects.
“The Budget Committee went around the country for public participation and agreed to allocate Kshs. 2 billion to the counties they visited. That amount mysteriously ballooned to Kshs. 12 billion, yet the beneficiary was not the counties visited but others handpicked by those in power,” Junet revealed.
He further alleged that MPs had started benchmarking visits to Nyoro’s constituency, sarcastically questioning what was so special about Kiharu to warrant such significant allocations.
“Members are now visiting his constituency to benchmark. What exactly are they benchmarking? Because it is receiving more money than others,” he said.
Hon. Nyoro will never get a vote from any other region should he stand for presidency.Taking advantage of his position to deny people of the entire western region is not just selfish but evil minded . You can’t treat other kenyans as lesser human beings. Shame on you !
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula reminded MPs that their duty was to serve all Kenyans fairly. He urged committee members to act as public trustees rather than using their positions for personal gain.
“The centrality of this new Constitution is equity, fairness, and justice. For all of you serving in committees, remember that you do not represent yourselves but the country. If members in privileged committees only work for themselves, how will a member on the Library Committee ever help their constituency?” Wetang’ula posed.
He called on both Majority and Minority Leaders to ensure that the budget process remains fair and transparent, so that no Kenyan feels the need to sit in Parliament to demand fairness.
“A person in Vanga, Lokitang, or Malaba should not have to come here to demand fairness. We all have a duty to ensure equitable allocation of resources,” he stated
