Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has expressed concerns about the overlapping of powers being witnessed in the Kenya Kwanza government.
The Senator was alarmed after it was revealed to him that what they were discussing did not matter because the final decision would be made at State House.
"But Chair, for you to tell us that it doesn't matter what we say or do in this committee, that it will be determined at State House or at the Treasury, it doesn't make sense. The people of Nairobi sent me to do work in this building. You should make it clear because I can just walk out," the visibly agitated Senator said.
According to Sifuna, if the situation continues, then Parliament should be dissolved and the President should make all the decisions.
He was speaking during a meeting of a mediation committee between Senators and MPs from the parliament’s Budget Allocation Committee.
"It cannot be possible that a Treasury Cabinet Secretary is the one telling us that the only money he can give county governments is Sh380 million. What is the role of Parliament? We should dissolve Parliament and let Mbadi (the CS Treasury) make all decisions on the money he wants to send. What is the point of us sitting here?" he probed.
The concern by the senator comes after county governments called out Treasury CS John Mbadi for saying that money had been disbursed to counties.
Council of Governors (CoG) Finance and Economic Planning Committee Chairman Fernandes Barasa described Mbadi’s claims as misleading and maintained that counties are still grappling with a biting cash crunch.
"I want to tell Mbadi that he should stop misleading Kenyans. You know very well that when money is released from the National Treasury to the county Revenue Fund through the Central Bank, it takes a minimum of two weeks to get the money," he said.
However, Mbadi dismissed the governor's claims that no money has been disbursed since August 2024, confirming that Ksh.30.8 billion was disbursed on Monday thereby settling all debts owed to devolved governments.
"Today as I speak we have transferred all the money meant to go to the counties until the end of October.
"Let them pay workers. Let them make this country liquid because there is money for them" Mbadi said.
