OTADA

The World Bank has just put numbers to what H.E. Edwin Sifuna has consistently been telling Kenyans even during the launch of TEP: Corruption is not just a governance problem. It is an economic problem that is holding this country back. Kenya could have a GDP that is 22.3% higher by 2035 and create up to 7.7 million additional and better-quality jobs if we seriously tackle corruption and strengthen governance. Think about that. Millions of opportunities that Kenyans could have, but which are lost when public resources are stolen, procurement is manipulated and corruption is protected by those entrusted with public office. This is precisely why H.E. has always insisted that the rule of law is inseparable from development. When the law is ignored, when corruption is budgeted for and passed as legitimate expenditure, when public money is diverted from its intended purpose, development stalls. Kenyans are left paying more, borrowing more and getting less. But there is another example that brings this conversation right into our homes: ELECTRICITY. The World Bank has also raised serious concerns about Kenya's expensive electricity, pointing to opaque Power Purchase Agreements, non-competitive procurement and governance failures involving Independent Power Producers (IPPs). This is not an abstract economic debate. It is the electricity token you buy today and the units you get for your money. It is the cost of running a business, manufacturing goods, operating hospitals, and creating jobs. Expensive electricity eventually finds its way into the cost of almost everything. And what did H.E. Edwin Sifuna do about this? He did not just complain about expensive electricity. He sponsored the Energy (Amendment) Bill, Senate Bills No. 42 of 2023, which was passed by the Senate on 15th April 2025 and transmitted to the National Assembly. The Bill seeks to address the very transparency gaps now being highlighted by the World Bank. Among its key proposals are: 1) Greater transparency in electricity purchase agreements and the financial terms that determine what Kenyans ultimately pay. 2) Disclosure of beneficial ownership of private electricity generators so Kenyans can know who actually owns and benefits from these companies. 3)Stronger public accountability in energy procurement and safeguards against inflated electricity costs arising from questionable agreements. The question is: WHY IS THIS BILL STILL NOT LAW? The National Assembly commenced its Second Reading on 19th February 2026, but the debate was adjourned without a decision. It remains unfinished business in the House. Wetang’ula and the National Assembly leadership must explain why legislation intended to protect Kenyans from opaque and potentially costly electricity deals continues to languish in Parliament. The connection between these two World Bank findings is simple: –You cannot build a prosperous country on a foundation of institutionalized corruption. –You cannot create millions of jobs while public resources are being wasted. –You cannot make electricity affordable while opaque deals and questionable procurement practices are allowed to burden consumers. And you cannot keep preaching development while refusing to strengthen the very laws that make development possible. H.E. Edwin Sifuna's message has been consistent: THE LAW MUST WORK FOR THE PEOPLE, PUBLIC MONEY MUST WORK FOR THE PEOPLE, AND DEVELOPMENT MUST BENEFIT THE PEOPLE. Kenyans do not lack ideas, ambition or the capacity to prosper. What we need is a government that respects the Constitution, protects public resources and puts the interests of citizens before private interests. Development is not about how much money a government announces it has spent. It is about what that money actually delivers to the people. The Problem is not that Kenya cannot afford development. The problem is what happens to the money that should deliver it.