Nairobi — National Assembly Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro has accused Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna of pushing a populist agenda and being hypocritical for pretending to be astonished by the allowances received by members of parliament.

Osoro criticized Sifuna for not declining the generous benefits upon taking office, calling his actions duplicitous.

"Senator Edwin Sifuna, stop your populist agenda and hypocrisy. You are getting shocked after two years of using your ETC card and receiving your fuel allowance. If you are being honest, you should have protested about it immediately after being sworn into office," urged Osoro.

During a Senate House session on Wednesday, convened to debate the state of the nation in light of ongoing youth-led protests against the Kenya Kwanza administration, Sifuna highlighted the need to reduce spending on both staff and Members of Parliament.

Sifuna described his surprise at receiving a substantial portion of allowances, including fuel for his daily duties as an elected leader. "When I became the Deputy Minority Whip, I was allocated a GK vehicle. I was shocked at the amount of money on my ETC card for my Parliamentary car. When I used that same car to come here, there was Sh.377,000 on my ETC card. We must be honest with Kenyans that there are ways of reducing expenditure to lessen the burden on taxpayers," he said.

Sifuna called for the government to reconsider budget adjustments to operate within its means, emphasizing the need for elected leaders to set an example during economic hardships. "When we are discussing budgets in this house, we should focus on considering where we can make major concessions so that the public feels we are actually lessening the burden and not increasing it," stated Sifuna.

The debate comes amid public outcry over the opulent lifestyles of elected leaders while the country faces economic challenges.