Busia Senator Okiya Omtata has called for major reforms in the management of public finances, proposing an independent Treasury to shield government funds from political interference and strengthen accountability. He argued that the current system leaves room for misuse and weakens oversight mechanisms meant to protect public resources.

He made the remarks during a talk show hosted by a local radio station on Thursday, April 9, 2026, where he addressed concerns about transparency, budget control, and the role of institutions tasked with safeguarding public money.

Omtata explained that while the Constitution outlines strict procedures for withdrawing public funds, including oversight by the Controller of Budget, these safeguards are not being fully enforced in practice.

“They say no money can be withdrawn from a consolidated fund or any other without the approval of the controller of the budget. Even though they say the government is allowed to spend without appropriation in emergencies, under Article 223, the controller of the budget must be convinced that there is an emergency; she has the final say, but she has never had a say,” Okiya Omtata stated.

He argued that to address these gaps, Kenya needs to restructure how public funds are held and managed by ensuring there is an independent institution that operates outside direct executive control.

“We need to have an independent Treasury to keep the public money out of the president. The Treasury should control that money from the executive to prevent the president from misusing it,” he stated.

He further explained a system where public funds would only be released through a structured and transparent process involving a parliamentary process, budget approval and oversight by constitutional offices before reaching any project.

“Then we bring it back to parliament, but the parliament is not given the money to hold. Whoever holds the money is an independent institution called the treasury, which is run by professionals, and the only way you can get that money from that institution is that allocation must be in the budget, then the controller of the budget must approve, and then the money will go to the project,” he stated.

Okiya Omtata concluded that having an independent treasury will tighten financial controls and ensure that public resources are used strictly for their intended purposes.