Ichung'wah, Junet dismiss opposition budget

Treasury CS John Mbadi, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed during the 2026-27 Budget reading at Parliament buildings, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Leaders of Majority and Minority parties in the National Assembly have lashed out at the opposition over what they termed as misleading the public about the budgeting process.

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah yesterday dismissed the budget presented by the opposition on Wednesday, accusing them of ‘living in the past of the old constitution’ where the Minister would go to Parliament to read budgets to the country.

He took a particular swipe at the former Speaker of the National Assembly, Justin Muturi, who he said presided over the House under the Constitution 2010 and should better understand what it entails.

“I saw them purporting, together with others, that the Cabinet Secretary was coming to read the budget and wondered. Least of all, I can forgive Kalonzo Musyoka because the last time he held public office was under the old constitution, where the CS would come and read the budgets to the country,” Ichung’wah said, before presentation of the budget estimates.

“For Muturi, who sat as a Speaker under this Constitution and knows very well that the CS does not come here to read any budget. We have concluded with the budget estimates and all that remains for us is to consider the Appropriations Bill, which we will consider next week and all the CS is coming to do is to give a public pronouncement on budget highlights and revenue raising measures. I would urge the country to forgive these people… they are living in the past, if you live in the past, you cannot fashion an agenda to move the country forward.”

He said that they have also been telling Kenyans to blindly reject the Finance Bill, yet none of them has come out to tell Kenyans the particular clauses they have a problem with, unlike in 2024.

On his part, Minority Leader Junet Mohamed regretted that misinformation is coming from high-ranking members of society.

“We are living in the era of misinformation and disinformation and when it is coming from high-level members of society, it is worrying. I heard the former Speaker saying that the budget is being read when the President is not around. The last President who attended this House when we were reading the budget was Mwai Kibaki under the old constitution. These people do not know what is happening in the country,” he said.

He also stated that the opposition has spoken about the Finance Bill and they first said there is a clause indicating that all freehold titles will be changed to leasehold titles and that has been demystified. Now, they have nothing else to say.

“I want to remind Kenyans that the person coming to read the estimates is the former Chairperson of Orange Democratic Movement,” he uttered.