This archive report was first published on 15 October 2019.
Published on October 15, 2019, Kenyans are crying out for someone to speak out against the government's deepening debt, a task that has traditionally been led by Raila Odinga. However, with Odinga's absence from the opposition scene, the role of holding the government accountable has fallen by the wayside.
Opposition MPs have been accused of abandoning their watchdog role, with many backing the government's push to raise the country's debt ceiling to Sh9 trillion. This is a stark contrast to their previous stance against borrowing, with some MPs even citing the 'renewed fight against corruption' as a reason for their change of heart.
Junet Mohammed, the National Assembly Minority Whip, stated that the war on corruption has serious political support, leading him to believe that the borrowed money will be spent wisely. However, critics, including the World Bank, have warned against the government's appetite for loans, citing risks of debt stress.
Even expert advice from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) was ignored, with the PBO warning that raising the debt ceiling would undermine the country's budget credibility. The PBO also stated that the country has surpassed some debt sustainability thresholds, implying that it is not generating enough revenue to cover debt service requirements.
As a result, Kenyans are left to fend for themselves, with the opposition's failure to hold the government accountable being particularly felt. The approval of the 8 percent fuel levy in September 2018 is a stark reminder of the consequences of the opposition's inaction, with the rise in fuel prices leading to a hike in the prices of basic commodities.
