Osoro Accuses Senator Sifuna With Allowance Hypocrisy

Senator Edwin Sifuna of Nairobi has come under fire from National Assembly Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro for allegedly advancing a populist agenda and acting hypocritically by claiming to be shocked by the allowances received by lawmakers.

Osoro denounced Sifuna as dishonest for accepting the opulent benefits upon assuming office.

Senator Edwin Sifuna put an end to your hypocrisy and populist agenda. After two years of using your ETC card and getting your gasoline allowance, you are astonished. Osoro emphasized, "If you are being honest, you ought to have protested about it as soon as you were sworn into office."

Sifuna emphasized the need to cut back on expenditure for both staff and members of parliament during a Senate House meeting on Wednesday. The gathering was called to discuss the status of the country given the continuing youth-led protests against the Kenya Kwanza administration. Sifuna expressed his astonishment at being given a substantial share of allowances, which included fuel for his everyday work as an elected official."A GK car was given to me when I was appointed Deputy Minority Whip. The amount of money on my ETC card for my Parliamentary car astounded me. Upon arriving here in that same vehicle, my ETC card had Sh. 377,000 on it. He stated, "We have to be upfront with Kenyans about the fact that there are methods to cut spending and relieve the strain on taxpayers.

Underscoring the importance of government officials setting an example during tough times, Sifuna urged the administration to reevaluate budget modifications to operate within its means. "We ought to concentrate on finding areas where we can make significant compromises when debating budgets in this house so that the public believes we are genuinely reducing the load rather than adding to it," Sifuna said.

Discussions about elected officials' lavish lifestyles are taking place amid public anger about the nation's economic woes.