Kimani Ichung'wah reveals the genesis of internal fights in government

By Robert Mutasi 

Majority Leader of the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung'wah, has come out to explain the internal wrangles which have faced the government for months, stating that the cause of the wrangles was because of the misallocated funds within one of the offices.  

In an interview with Spice FM on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, Ichung'wa said the tension started late last year after the discovery of an inappropriately large sum of money being misused under the vote meant for other purposes.

"Many of us bent over backwards to accommodate each other, and for some time this worked," said Ichung'wah. "But towards the end of last year, it was discovered that a lot of money had been wasted in one office on a vote that should not have been spent that way."

This eventually led to the misappropriation of funds and stirred accusations of a lack of transparency and accountability throughout the government circles.

Ichung'wah explained that the issue attracted the interest of President William Ruto, who sprang into action to have the funds misuse stopped.

The strong action that the President took in stopping the spending laid bare the deep-seated wars in government.

"When the president put a stop to it, the fights began," Ichung'wah repeated, echoing the rising fights among the high echelons of government.

It is now clear that this move to try and cut spending has elicited some resentful responses that reportedly instigated the internal tussle and flexing of muscles in the administration.

Although Ichung'wah did not cite the office or the sum of money involved, his remarks apparently seemed to insinuate that the government faces an uphill test trying to maintain cohesion in the wake of the allegations of financial mismanagement.

Ichung'wah explained that the issue has since created division among those supporting the move by the president while others are resistant to the stricter oversight of how public spending is managed.

This revelation comes at a time when the Kenyan government is under public pressure to curb corruption and enhance better management of national resources.

This also brings into focus the push for greater openness and accountability in government departments.

Still, Ichung'wah promised support for the move by the president in streamlining operations of government and ensuring that public funds are put to good use.

"We have to hold people to account and ensure that the resources of government are not dissipated, but reach the people," he added.