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National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichungwah, National Treasury CS John Mbadi and Minority leader Junet Mohammed at Parliament building before the 2026 Budget on June 11, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]
Orange Democratic Movement Party leader Oburu Oginga has defended the government's budget deficit financing strategy, arguing that borrowing to bridge revenue gaps is a common practice worldwide and that Kenya is right to prioritize domestic borrowing over external debt.
Speaking during a church fundraiser at SDA Kiserian in Kajiado County attended by President William Ruto and several ODM leaders, Oburu dismissed criticism over the country's borrowing levels, saying the focus should be on how the deficit is financed rather than the existence of the deficit itself.
“People are complaining that there is a big deficit in the financing of the country. But as a finance expert, I can tell you that the level the country is borrowing, we are doing it internally,” Oburu said.
