Kiambu County Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa has dismissed the sentiments of Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, claiming that the government spends Ksh80 billion monthly to cover salaries for public servants.

The legislator has further argued that the Treasury cannot complain about struggling to meet the public servants’ salaries while the government’s top officials display extravagance by dishing out millions of shillings in handouts.

In his revelation, John Mbadi said the state spends more than Ksh960 billion annually on salaries for its employees, which he described as unsustainable.

Public servants’ salary burden

”We are using Ksh80 billion per month to pay salaries for public servants, which translates to KSh960 billion per year; that is not sustainable. We are crowding out development,” Treasury CS John Mbadi was recently quoted by local media.

However, on his part, Thang’wa has further challenged CS John Mbadi to start by sealing the extravagance loopholes from the top levels of leadership within the national government.

”A regime whose president and deputy proudly distribute over Ksh300 million daily through blatant handouts and political bribery now claims it’s spending too much on hard-working civil servants. If there is anyone draining public funds, start at the top. If we’re looking for cost-cutting measures, maybe start by “firing” the president first. After all, he’s the most empowered of them all,” Karungo wa Thang’wa took to X on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Ending lecturers’ strike

Senator Thang’wa’s remarks come at a time when the government has committed to ending the ongoing Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) strike regarding the implementation of the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by clearing the outstanding debt of Ksh7.76 billion in a phased disbursement plan of over three years.

Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education at the National Assembly on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Mbadi made submissions on a petition by UASU and KUSU regarding the pending money that has paralysed learning in all public universities and colleges for weeks.

In his submission, the CS informed the Committee that the government has so far provided Ksh8.6 billion toward the implementation of the particular CBA, comprising Ksh6.6 billion in the financial year 2019/20 and Ksh2.0 billion in the financial year 2021/22.