Parliament has questioned Sh1.9 billion in payments by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in the fiscal year that ended Tuesday. The legislators claim that the military failed to give a breakdown of the expenditure only stating vaguely that the money was “grants and disbursements to other national and county government”.
This is a valid concern by Parliament and ought to be addressed in the spirit of accountability. Although we appreciate the long-running tradition of secrecy in military spending, there should be some element of openness because while opacity has its benefits in war, it weakens sound policy making and accountability.
