Siaya residents have called on Parliament to allocate more resources towards infrastructure development to spur economic growth and improve access to services in rural areas.
Speaking during a public hearing on the 2026/2027 estimates of revenue and expenditure conducted by the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, residents urged the government to prioritise roads, water projects and school infrastructure.
The residents said there was need for a major shift in budget allocation to ensure stalled projects are completed and critical sectors receive adequate funding.
The committee, led by Ugenya Member of Parliament David Ochieng, held the forum to collect public views on the national budget estimates.
Participants argued that the government must take seriously the priorities raised by wananchi during public participation forums, noting that some projects have repeatedly appeared in successive budgets without implementation.
Residents from Gem constituency led by John Ogam Maramba expressed concern that roads promised by President William Ruto during his recent development tour of the area were missing from the budget estimates.
Ogam specifically cited the Yala-Anyiko-Butere-Ulumbi-Marenyo-Rabuor road, saying residents had expected the project to be included for funding in the upcoming financial year.
“The President publicly promised the tarmacking of the Yala-Anyiko-Butere-Ulumbi-Marenyo-Rabuor road and it is worrying that the project has not been factored into the budget estimates,” said Ogam.
He warned that failure to honour such pledges could erode public confidence and paint the President in bad light among residents.
Water scarcity also emerged as a major concern during the session, with residents calling for increased allocation towards urban and rural water projects.
A resident, Jamine Madara, drew laughter from participants when he challenged committee members to inspect the toilets at the venue, claiming there was no water available even at the county headquarters.
“If you want to know how serious the water problem is, visit the toilets here right now because there is no water for washing hands,” said Madara.
He added that if Siaya town was facing water shortages, then the situation in rural parts of the county was likely to be worse.
In Alego Usonga constituency, stakeholders led by Vincent K’owino appealed for the upgrading of Barding Boys Secondary School to C1 status to enable the institution to access more resources and improve learning standards.
K’owino also called for the modernization and expansion of primary schools within Siaya town, saying the growing urban population had overwhelmed existing learning facilities.
Residents noted that Siaya Township Primary School and Siaya Central Primary and Junior School were struggling to accommodate the increasing number of learners.
Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo accused Parliament’s Implementation Committee of failing to adequately monitor execution of approved budgets.
Odhiambo cited the 2025/2026 budget in which Sh30 million had been allocated for development of Gamba Technical Training Institute in Gem constituency, only for the funds to reportedly be redirected to Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology in Kisumu County.
“This could be a pointer to something serious happening underneath the normal budget process,” said the legislator.
Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga urged Kenyans to take greater interest in government programmes and make use of available digital platforms to track public expenditure and government records.
David Ochieng commended Siaya residents for turning up in large numbers to present their views and assured them that their submissions would be considered in the final budget-making process.
The session was also attended by Siaya County Commissioner Norbert Komora, Deputy County Commissioner Robert Ng’etich and legislator Peter Masara.
By Philip Onyango
