Sifuna: I'll be last person to complain about payment

He said Kenyans are going through a lot and that he is better off.

In Summary
  • He said even counties are going through payment issues, as there are pending bills.
  • National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi on April 7, called for a probe into Kenya Revenue Authority following delays in salary payments.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna
Image: SCREENGRAB

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has said he will be the absolute last person to complain about the delayed salary. 

Speaking during an interview with NTV, Sifuna said Kenyans are going through a lot and that he is better off. 

"Kenyans as we speak, most of them have not had a merrier Easter, due to challenges of the high cost of living and more, complaining about not receiving my March salary would be the last thing," he said. 

He said even counties are going through payment issues, as there are pending bills.

"The issue of payment has affected all the sectors, including counties, the government should hasten and solve it," Sifuna said.

National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi on April 7, called for a probe into Kenya Revenue Authority following delays in salary payments.

He said the probe should be extended to individuals and systems at the National Treasury and Central Bank of Kenya to establish what has gone wrong.

He raised concerns about why revenues are being collected but there are no monies to sort salaries.

“We need to take a close and thorough look at the goings-on at revenue collection points and revenue sources like Kenya Airports Authority, the courts, customs, National Social Security Fund (NSSF), aids and grants and revenue administration in addition to probing government spending,” he stated.

“Where the proceeds from taxes and savings from scrapped subsidies are going? How can it be that we scrapped subsidies, increased taxes, and continued to borrow, only for our financial situation to get worse?”

Opiyo stated that for the first time since independence in 1963, the government of Kenya is unable to pay salaries to civil servants and Members of Parliament.

“The easy conclusion is that the criminals at KRA are collecting and pocketing taxes as the incompetents at National Treasury also skim off the revenue while failing to come up with sound policies for cash flow,” he stated.

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