Salasya slams MPs celebrating economic empowerment programmes
Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has criticised fellow legislators who parade contributions at public functions as economic empowerment, accusing them of wasting time and misleading communities.
Speaking on Thursday, September 25, 2025, Salasya questioned the rationale behind MPs boasting of raising millions through harambees instead of addressing deeper systemic issues affecting the economy.
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“How can we as MPs, maybe not all of them, celebrate economic empowerment programmes, harambee shenanigans of calling people, wasting their time, and contributing Ksh5 million or Ksh4 million and then say we have helped the community or constituency?” Salasya posed.
Also watch: Makutano residents protest over discrimination in Ksh 7 million empowerment funds.
He argued that lawmakers have neglected their core role of oversight, particularly questioning the government’s failure to facilitate procurement by state agencies.
“We have forgotten as MPs to ask why the government has refused any agencies to procure anything in this country. Yet they are saying they want Kenya to be like Singapore. A government that has not been running, you cannot even buy a pen from June to September. Everything is at a standstill,” Salasya said.
While acknowledging that economic empowerment programmes are among the few initiatives currently functional, Salasya urged leaders to channel such resources into sustainable projects.
“If at all we are serious, why can’t we channel those resources so that people can be trained and tracked in business, instead of handouts that people will eat and forget?” he posed.
Further, he cautioned against abrupt policy shifts that stall service delivery.
“There must be a transition process, and this is what the President ought to understand. You cannot just wake up and say this has to happen, and if it does not, everything has to stop,” he added.
E-Procurement
His remarks come a few days after President William Ruto urged leaders to support the recently introduced e-procurement system for managing the purchase of goods and services in public entities.
Speaking on Saturday, September 20, 2025, the President explained that the digital platform, which will be accessible to the public at the click of a button, will greatly enhance transparency and accountability.
Elsewhere, Governors warn that the rushed e-procurement rollout is stalling vital county services.
“It will help eliminate corruption, misuse of public funds, favouritism, and the practice of overpricing goods and services sold to public institutions,” he said.
He noted that more than 40 per cent of public funds are estimated to be lost through corruption during procurement processes.
The President reassured the public that the teething challenges faced by the e-procurement system are being addressed.
“We will correct the challenges, but the ultimate goal is to ensure that the citizens of Kenya get value for the resources they entrust to us in national, county governments and any other public procurement entities,” he said.
