Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Samuel Atandi has been elected as the Chairperson of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, replacing his Kiharu Counterpart Ndindi Nyoro.
In the new formation unveiled on Wednesday, March 12, Atandi will be deputised by Endebes MP Robert Pukose.
Minority Leader Junet Mohammed congratulated the new Budget Committee chair and expressed confidence that he shall deliver.
“Kenyans want to see a more equitable distribution of the nation’s cake. I am confident you will deliver, cementing the broad-based government’s vision of an all-inclusive nation,” said Junet in a statement on X.
Butere MP Tindi Mwale has been elected as the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee Chairperson to be deputized by Garissa Woman Representative Amina Udgoon.
This comes following the start of the process to select new Chairpersons and Members of National Assembly Committees.
On Tuesday, heated exchanges erupted in the House as Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah alongside MP Junet Mohammed strongly criticized outgoing Budget Committee Chairperson Ndindi Nyoro over alleged skewed budget allocations.
Ichung’wah moved a motion for the House to hold a special sitting on Friday, and Junet joined him in accusing Nyoro of manipulating the budget process to favor his constituency and political allies at the expense of other regions.
The intense debate came following the reconstitution of the Budget Committee ahead of the Wednesday leadership vote.
The Majority Leader accused members of the dissolved committee of treating public funds as their personal bank accounts, turning the budget-making process into “a cash grab for the privileged few.
“It is immoral, unethical, and outright theft! We cannot have a situation where one county receives Ksh12 billion while an entire region struggles with just Ksh60 million. How is that even possible?” Ichung’wah wondered.
“This House will not sit back and allow a handful of MPs to allocate money only to their constituencies while the rest of the country is left begging for crumbs. We were not sent here to enrich ourselves—we were sent here to serve Kenyans fairly.”
Ichung’wah further vowed that business would not continue as usual, warning that the next Budget Committee must uphold fairness and equity—or face Parliament’s wrath.
Junet ridiculed Nyoro, sarcastically questioning why lawmakers were flocking to Kiharu for ‘benchmarking’ on National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) projects.
The Suna East MP alleged that Kiharu had become the “special constituency” in the budget process, benefiting disproportionately while other regions struggled to secure even a fraction of the funds.
He further criticized extravagant spending, questioning how one parliamentarian’s constituency could afford luxury projects while others could barely fund a single road.
“Let’s be honest. Which MP here can build castles with their CDF funds? These things are happening because some people have access to ‘bigger money’—money that does not belong to them but to Kenyans. And they are stealing it in broad daylight!” he said.
Speaker Moses Wetang’ula while responding to the debate urged the lawmakers to uphold fairness and accountability in budget allocations, reminding them that the Constitution demands equity, justice, and transparency.
