Strategic Intelligence Analyst, Abdi Noor Mohamed, has renewed calls for a full audit of Kenya’s alleged “odious debts”, arguing that accountability gaps have enabled large-scale theft of public funds.
He claims every shilling must be traced, especially in Northern Kenya development financing, and insists a future administration would establish a commission of inquiry to investigate historical borrowing and spending.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Friday, he insisted that unresolved questions over public debt require a structured investigation and forensic review rather than political rhetoric.
Mohamed, who is also the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Chairperson, linked the debt issue to broader governance concerns, saying financial mismanagement has weakened service delivery and public trust.
“We will trace every coin stolen from a place,” he said, adding that accountability mechanisms must follow public funds across all stages of allocation and spending.
The analyst's remarks come as Kenya’s total public debt rises steadily, reaching about Sh12.84 trillion by February 2026, up from roughly Sh11.13 trillion in February 2025 and about Sh10.4 trillion in May 2024, driven mainly by domestic borrowing and Eurobond refinancing pressures.
During FY 2022/23–2023/24, debt expanded sharply as fiscal deficits widened, pushing debt-to-GDP above 67% amid infrastructure spending and revenue shortfalls.
In 2024/25–2025/26, the government shifted to heavy domestic borrowing, which accounted for over 80% of new accumulation, adding more than Sh500 billion per quarter in 2026 alone.
The government has responded through fiscal consolidation, tax reforms, and debt management plans aimed at reducing the debt ratio to about 52–55% by 2027/28.
Moving further, Mohamed argued that any meaningful reform agenda must begin with clarity on how borrowed funds were utilised. “The bigger marginal plan we have is to own it every shilling where it has gone to,” he expressed, emphasising that debt accountability would be central to his party’s governance agenda.
The strategist also called for a formal investigative mechanism to examine historical borrowing and its deployment.
The intelligence analyst linked the debate over debt to broader calls for fiscal discipline, arguing that public borrowing has often outpaced accountability systems.
According to him, Kenya’s economic challenges are compounded by weak oversight of funds once they are disbursed, leading to inefficiencies and loss of resources.
Abdi Noor Mohamed also pointed to the importance of auditing national debt structures as a pathway to restoring public confidence. “An audit of that debt would really help us move forward,” he stated, noting that unresolved debt questions continue to shape public debate around governance and economic management.
He argued further that future administrations must prioritise transparency in borrowing, repayment obligations, and expenditure tracking, insisting that failure to do so would perpetuate cycles of mistrust and inefficiency.
According to the analyst, debt accountability is not only a fiscal issue but also a governance imperative that determines the effectiveness of development planning and resource distribution. He maintained that without a full audit, questions over legitimacy and utilisation of funds would persist.
Mohamed reiterated that his political formation would pursue structured inquiries into public debt if it assumes power, framing the initiative as part of a wider reform agenda aimed at strengthening financial oversight institutions.
The remarks come amid ongoing national debates on rising public debt levels and the sustainability of government borrowing, with critics and policymakers divided over the scope and necessity of retrospective debt audits.