Safina Party vows to refuse repayment of illegal public debt if elected in 2027
By Mabonga Makhanu, July 30, 2025Safina Party deputy party leader Willis Otieno has announced that if the party assumes power in 2027, it will not pay certain debts borrowed by past regimes.
Speaking during a podcast aired on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, Otieno stated that the party has conducted a forensic audit on Kenya’s debt and established that a significant portion of the Ksh11 trillion public debt is illegal. He indicated that the Safina Party will not honour such debts if it takes office.
“As Safina party, we have done our forensic audit; the Ksh 11 trillion they are saying, the bulk of it is illegal, and we shall not pay. That is the promise that we are giving to people: we shall not pay ‘s illegal debt; we shall not pay; we shall not pay,” Willis said.
Otieno explained that Kenyan law provides a clear framework for borrowing, allowing the government to borrow only for development purposes and only with parliamentary approval.
According to him, a review of parliamentary records showed that only Ksh2.3 trillion of the total debt between 2013 and 2023 was lawfully approved by Parliament.
“Our laws provide for the manner in which we should borrow, and they say you only borrow for development, and you only borrow with parliamentary approval, so we went to parliament to check on the approvals that parliament gave for debts to be taken. The debts that parliament approved were worthy – Ksh 2.3 trillion from 2013 to 2023 – those are the only debts that parliament approved,” Willis added.
He added that any lender who issued loans to the Kenyan government without ensuring parliamentary approval or confirming the specific projects to be financed should bear the responsibility, as such loans will not be repaid.
Lender’s responsibility
Otieno emphasised that it is the responsibility of lenders to conduct proper due diligence before advancing loans, whether to a president or a finance cabinet secretary. He maintained that any loan given to previous administrations without following the law and due diligence will not be paid by a future Safina Party government.
He further stated that the refusal to repay the illegal debts would create a problem both for the financiers and the Kenyan authorities who unlawfully took the loans, as those responsible would face jail terms.