National Assembly Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro has accused Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna of hypocrisy, criticizing him for feigning surprise at the allowances enjoyed by members of parliament.

Osoro called on Sifuna to abandon his populist stance, questioning why it took two years of benefiting from ETC and fuel allowances for Sifuna to voice objections.

Silvanus questioned Sifuna’s integrity, pointing out that if the allowances were problematic, Sifuna should have raised concerns from the moment he took office.

This criticism came during a Senate session where Sifuna advocated for reducing spending on parliamentary staff and members.

Senator Sifuna expressed astonishment at the allowances granted to him as Deputy Minority Whip, including a government vehicle and an ETC card loaded with Sh 377,000, an amount he claims he couldn’t exhaust even if he used the expressway daily for a year. He urged the government to consider budget cuts to relieve taxpayers, rather than further burdening them.

These discussions occur amidst ongoing protests by youths against over taxation, coinciding with the anti-finance bill entering its third week of debate.