Uriri Member of Parliament Mark Nyamita has urged the Kenyan government to impose sanctions on officers who approve unjustified public expenditures.
Speaking on a local TV programme, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, Nyamita called for stricter oversight to ensure the responsible use of public funds.
He stressed that the practice of approving unnecessary expenditures undermines the budgetary process.
“Even now, as I come, what is it at the end? Because we can also take such, we can also sanction the officers who actually go on approving, and it has actually been abused because then it is almost like parallel budgeting. Because we budget the main one and we debate it on the floor of the house,” he said.
Nyamita noted that the current finance bill aims to raise between Ksh25 billion and Ksh40 billion.
“My view was that the difference of the money they wanted to raise should actually come from austerity measures,” he said, proposing cuts to non-essential costs like travel.
He highlighted that Parliament has already reduced its spending compared to the previous session.
“There’s been a bit of reduction in terms of activities that we used to have,” he stated, urging the executive to follow suit.
End wasteful spending
Mark referenced Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakango’s report of the first nine months of the fiscal year.
“The executive needs to walk the talk to actually be able to reduce what we would call unnecessary expenditure,” he said, suggesting savings could address the financial shortfall.
He also addressed the misuse of Article 223 of the Constitution, which allows the executive to authorise spending without prior parliamentary approval, provided it is presented within two months.
Nyamita called for rigorous scrutiny of Article 223 expenditures to ensure only essential spending is approved. He warned that prioritising non-essential costs, like travel, over critical needs, such as pensions, is imprudent.
“When you say you can forfeit paying pensions and maybe pay for my travel, that is not prudent use,” he remarked.
The MP urged all government arms, including the judiciary, to cut unnecessary spending and redirect funds to priority areas. Nyamita expressed confidence in the Budget Committee’s upcoming report to enforce accountability and ensure officers approving unjustified expenditures face sanctions.
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a digital writer with over five years of experience. He graduated in February 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from The Co-operative University of Kenya. He has written news and feature stories for platforms such as Construction Review Online, Sports Brief, Briefly News, and Criptonizando. In 2023, he completed a course in Digital Investigation Techniques with AFP. He joined K24 Digital in May 2025. For inquiries, he can be reached at [email protected].
