Sifuna: Let’s dissolve Parliament, let Mbadi make Budget decisions

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna on Wednesday said Parliament needs to be dissolved if key parliamentary decision are allegedly going to be made by the Executive at State House

He insisted that Parliament should not be the ones ceding power that is vested in the House to other organs of the State.

Sifuna said there are things that are simply unacceptable “to me as a person who understands the Constitution and believes in the purity of the doctrine of separation of powers.”

He explained that it cannot be possible that National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi is the one telling MPs that only money he can give county governments is Sh380 billion.

“Then what is the role of Parliament. We should dissolve Parliament, let Mbadi make all the decisions on the monies to be disbursed,” he stated.

“Honourable Ndindi Nyoro, at least you have the laxity of being invited to State House I am persona non grata there. I am not going to go to State House, to do what,” he added.

The Senate has proposed Sh400.1 billion for the 47 counties, while the National Assembly insists on Sh380 billion, creating a financial standoff that threatens county operations.

The standoff comes after a mediation committee, composed of members from the National Assembly and Senate, failed to reach an agreement during a meeting on November 12, 2024.

Sifuna claimed that MPs are subjecting themselves to an institution they are supposed to oversight.

“You will never see me in State House being summoned by the President.”

He maintained that the Budget is not prepared by the executive since it is not a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly.

“I cannot accept the position that we are going to negotiate the Division of Revenue at State House, that is not going to happen,” he said.

“If we have been given the constitutional mandate by Parliament, let us do our job. Let us execute our mandate, that is what people expect.”