GACHAGUA’S ALTERNATIVE ECONOMICS TRIMMING STATE OPULENCE AND SLASHING PUBLIC DEBT TO CUSHION THE OVERTAXED MWANANCHI

 

Democracy for the Citizens Party DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua addresses a press conference in Nairobi where he unveiled a radical alternative budget model to challenge the government's fiscal framework

By Maximilla Wafula 

Democracy for the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua has mounted a fierce counter-offensive against the Kenya Kwanza administration, unveiling a radical alternative budget model aimed at tackling what he calls a twin evil of high taxation and runaway public debt. Speaking at a high-stakes press briefing in Nairobi, the former Deputy President positioned himself as the champion of the overtaxed mwananchi, claiming his party would dramatically downsize the national budget from an ambitious Ksh 4.8 trillion down to a leaner, more manageable Ksh 3.7 trillion. The crux of Gachagua’s alternative plan relies on an aggressive restructuring of how public funds are distributed, taking direct aim at what he describes as state-sponsored opulence. Front and center in his critique is the ballooning allocation to the presidency, where he openly questioned the necessity of the Ksh 17 billion earmarked for State House and the Executive while ordinary Kenyans struggle to afford basic meals.

Under Gachagua’s proposed economic roadmap, the billions shaved off public administration would be directly funneled into frontline production sectors. He envisions boosting agriculture funding from Ksh 97 billion to a massive Ksh 300 billion to stimulate food production, alongside scaling up the health budget to Ksh 450 billion. Crucially, Gachagua advocates for a zero-borrowing strategy on recurrent expenditure, arguing that the current administration's heavy reliance on debt openly violates Article 211 of the Constitution and the PFM Act. Taking a firm stand against the micro-policies within the Finance Bill, which he labeled the worst in Kenya's history, Gachagua strongly opposed the proposed 25% excise duty hike on mobile devices, warning it threatens the very digital tools the youth rely on for survival. As the national debate intensifies, Gachagua’s calculated shift from a vocal critic to an economic architect positions him as a formidable voice fighting to put money back into citizens' pockets.