The Chairman of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, Samuel Atandi, has fired back at critics who are against government borrowing. The Alego Usonga MP says borrowing is not a crime, but a necessity if the country wants to develop areas that were left behind for many years.
Speaking during a project launch at Nyajuok Comprehensive School in Siaya County, Atandi made it clear that critics should just get used to it. "I want to tell the opponents of the government that borrowing will continue. We shall continue borrowing because there are problems that must be resolved," he said.
According to Atandi, the problem is not borrowing itself but how borrowed money was shared in the past. He lamented that previous regimes did not use those funds equitably. Even though all Kenyans pay taxes to service debts, past administrations allegedly diverted the money to specific regions they came from or had interests in. That, he said, is why some places have good roads and hospitals while others are still struggling.
But the current regime, he argued, is different. The government is committed to developing every corner of the country, and that means both taxes and borrowed funds will be shared fairly. He said public debt will keep growing if those neglected regions are to catch up with the rest of the county.
The MP also made a strong case for equal distribution going forward. "Because all Kenyans, regardless of whether their region directly benefited from past infrastructure projects, are liable for repaying national debt, any future loan disbursements will be distributed equally," he explained.
His message was simple: if everyone is paying, then everyone must benefit. Borrowing will not stop until every part of Kenya feels the taste of development.
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