Safina Party deputy party leader and lawyer Willis Otieno has called for a comprehensive audit of Kenya’s public debt, insisting that citizens should not be compelled to repay loans acquired through illegal, unconstitutional or opaque processes.

In a statement on his X handle on Monday, July 6, 2026, Otieno criticised what he described as predatory debt that mortgages the country’s future while enriching a few individuals through corruption, inflated contracts and questionable borrowing agreements. He has argued that public borrowing should be guided by the interests of ordinary Kenyans rather than serving as a vehicle for corruption and mismanagement.

“We reject predatory debt that mortgages the future of our children and condemns generations of Kenyans to perpetual economic hardship,” Otieno said.

“Public borrowing must serve the people, not enrich a few through corruption, inflated contracts and opaque deals.”

Otieno maintained that Kenyans cannot be expected to shoulder the burden of debts that were incurred outside the law or without proper public accountability. According to him, every loan contracted in the name of the people must meet the constitutional standards of legality, transparency, and demonstrable public benefit.

The outspoken lawyer has called for the immediate publication of all borrowing agreements and demanded a comprehensive public audit of Kenya’s entire debt portfolio to establish how borrowed funds were acquired, utilised, and whether taxpayers received value for money.

“The people of Kenya have a right to know the terms under which the country has borrowed and how every borrowed shilling has been spent,” he said.

Otieno calls for accountability

Otieno has further argued that officials responsible for illegal or wasteful borrowing should be held personally accountable instead of transferring the financial burden to taxpayers through increased taxation, cuts in essential public services, and the rising cost of living.

The Safina Party official has warned that corruption-related debt should never become the responsibility of ordinary citizens who neither authorised nor benefited from questionable financial decisions.

“The burden of corruption must never be transferred to ordinary citizens through higher taxes, reduced public services and a rising cost of living,” he stated.

Framing the issue as one of intergenerational justice, Otieno has said Kenya’s future should not be used as collateral for irresponsible borrowing, emphasising that young people and future generations should not inherit debts accumulated without transparency or public participation.

“Our future is not collateral,” he declared. “We refuse to saddle future generations with the cost of debts they neither approved nor benefited from.”

He has further stated a firm declaration that has reignited debate over public finance and accountability in Kenya, insisting that citizens should not be required to repay debts that fail the tests of legality and constitutional compliance. He has disclosed that should his party, Safina Party, be entrusted with running the government in the forthcoming general elections, illegal debts would not be paid.

“We will not pay illegal debts,” he said.