Speaking before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives while discussing the 2026/27 budget estimates, Oparanya emotionally questioned whether his office was even being treated like that of a fully recognised Cabinet Secretary.
“I do not know whether my office is recognised as one of the offices of a CS in this government or not,” Oparanya told MPs during the heated session.
The former Kakamega governor revealed that his ministry has been struggling financially to the point where he sometimes relies on Principal Secretaries under him for basic operational support. According to Oparanya, the ministry urgently requires at least KSh200 million to run its activities smoothly.
In a moment that caught many lawmakers by surprise, the CS disclosed that he has occasionally been stranded during official trips due to lack of fuel and operational funds. He lamented that the situation had reduced him to “a beggar” within government circles.
The remarks have since generated political discussion across the country, especially because Oparanya is one of the senior ODM leaders working closely with Ruto’s broad-based government arrangement.
Analysts say his public frustration could expose growing tension within sections of the Kenya Kwanza administration over resource allocation and internal government priorities.
The Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs has in recent months been pushing programmes aimed at empowering small businesses and SACCOs across the country.
Oparanya has been championing financial inclusion and support for micro and small enterprises as part of the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Despite the frustrations, the CS urged Parliament to intervene and allocate enough funds to ensure his office operates effectively in the coming financial year.
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