Sifuna Slams Senators for “Clapping to Ruto’s Lies”

NAIROBI, Kenya — The floor of the Senate turned into a verbal battlefield on Wednesday as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna took on his colleagues in a high-stakes exchange over President William Ruto’s recent address to the Council of Governors. In a session marked by shouting matches and points of order, Sifuna labeled Senators Danson Mungatana and Ledama Olekina as “sycophants” for allegedly applauding “obvious misinformation” regarding the billions owed to county governments.

The drama began when Sifuna criticized the President’s claim that the national government would allocate Sh450 billion to counties in the 2024/2025 financial year. Sifuna pointed out a glaring inconsistency, noting that the official Budget Policy Statement from the National Treasury only proposed Sh420 billion. “I was embarrassed beyond words,” Sifuna declared, accusing his colleagues of “ululating at dreams and falsehoods” while counties continue to suffer from delayed disbursements and unpaid stipends for Community Health Providers (CHPs).

The exchange turned personal when Senator Mungatana rose on a point of order, accusing Sifuna of trying to manufacture viral moments for social media. “Is it in order to misinform this house just to get TikTok likes and become famous?” Mungatana asked. Sifuna’s retort was swift and went viral almost instantly: “I am already famous; I don’t need to be more famous than I am right now.” He maintained that his role was to provide oversight, not to massage the ego of the executive.

Senator Ledama Olekina also waded into the fray, accusing Sifuna of “populism” and failing to understand that the Senate—not the Treasury—has the final say on the Division of Revenue Bill. Ledama argued that the President was being factual about the proposed upward trajectory of funds. However, Sifuna dismissed this as “the most useless information ever tabled,” arguing that the report delivered by the President was supposed to be a report of achievements, not a wish list of future aspirations.

Amidst the chaos, Sifuna offered rare praise for Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, whom he claimed was the only leader with the “courage” to stand up during the meeting and challenge the President’s figures. The clash highlights the growing tension within the Senate as members grapple with the reality of a cash-strapped Treasury and an executive branch that critics say is over-promising to maintain political support at the grassroots level.