Budget it or stop it: Wanjigi calls out govt over empowerment initiatives
Businessman and politician Jimi Wanjigi has raised concerns over the funding of empowerment initiatives, questioning their legality if they are not captured within the national budget.
His remarks come at a time when the government has been unveiling different empowerment drives targeting youth, women, and small businesses, with many Kenyans left wondering about the source of the money.
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Speaking in a TV interview on Monday, August 18, 2025, Wanjigi emphasised that financial accountability must remain at the centre of all government spending. He warned that blurring the line between personal and public resources undermines trust in leadership and puts the country’s fiscal discipline at risk.
“The law is very clear; you can only spend money that has been budgeted for. So if empowerment is not a line item in the budget, are those our funds, or are they personal funds of people?” Wanjigi posed.
Questions on accountability, transparency
The statement underscores broader concerns around transparency in public financial management. For years, Kenyans have expressed frustration over government spending that appears to fall outside official frameworks, with critics arguing that such practices create room for misuse of funds.
“What I’m also hearing about these empowerment groupings is, money is brought by one person, he donates to the people sitting there, and they are going to contribute. Like an MP would be given Ksh200,000 and told Ksh100,000 is for you, and Ksh100,000 you put in the kitty. The people who came with the money are the same people who came with the same transport,” Wanjigi said.
Wanjigi noted that while empowerment programs are often presented as noble efforts, their sustainability and legality remain questionable if they are not backed by proper budgetary approval. He said that the absence of a clear funding trail raises doubts about whether such initiatives are being carried out in the best interests of citizens or are being used for political gain.
The businessman further cautioned that citizens must be vigilant about how funds are allocated and demanded that leaders operate within the confines of the law. His remarks highlight the importance of aligning all government projects with established budgetary processes to avoid financial ambiguity.
For Wanjigi, empowerment can only be meaningful if it is transparent, legally grounded, and accountable. Without this, he argued, Kenyans risk being misled about the true source of development projects and the long-term sustainability of such initiatives.
By insisting that empowerment funds must appear in the budget, Wanjigi has reinforced a key principle: public money can only serve the people if it is managed with openness and accountability.
