Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina has raised concern over what he terms as rising misuse of public funds through unplanned government spending, warning that the trend poses serious fiscal risks to the country.
In a strongly worded statement, the Senator criticized the government for what he described as excessive reliance on Article 223 of the Constitution to approve expenditures outside the approved budget framework.
“It’s not good to keep quiet when the road to Singapore (Kenya) is full of potholes,” said Ole Kina, using a metaphor to question the country’s fiscal discipline despite ambitions of economic transformation.
He pointed to what he termed as “unnecessary spending” being rushed through the system without proper oversight, arguing that the current legal framework allows the Executive to bypass Parliament initially and only seek approval after funds have already been spent.
Ole Kina is now pushing for urgent amendments to Article 223 of the Constitution of Kenya to require prior approval from both the National Assembly and the Senate before any such expenditure is undertaken.
“Parliament must amend Article 223 for bicameral approval upfront, not post-ratification,” he stated, adding that the current approach undermines accountability and transparency in public finance management.
The Senator also questioned the justification behind the reported KSh 3.9 billion allocation towards hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), arguing that such a major financial commitment could not have been unforeseen.
“You can’t tell me AFCON hosting fees were never planned. This is a known commitment, yet it was rushed via Article 223,” he said.
