Students Paid Ksh1500 for Staged Finance Bill 2026 Public Participation in Ongata Rongai

Students were allegedly paid at least Ksh 1500 each to take part in a staged public participation event for the Finance Bill 2026 at Asyana Gardens in Ongata Rongai. The claims have sparked fresh anger among Kenyans who already doubt how genuine some government consultations really are.

Young people from nearby universities, including Multimedia University and Jomo Kenyatta Institute of Advanced Technology, arrived at the venue in Kajiado County. Witnesses say organisers handed them fake identity cards that carried their real photographs but made up personal details.

The cards apparently helped with registration and payment. Many participants came from humble backgrounds and saw the money as easy cash for a few hours of sitting through the session.

This latest incident touches a raw nerve because public participation forms a key part of how Kenya makes laws, especially money bills that affect taxes and daily spending.

The Finance Bill 2026 comes at a time when many households still feel the pinch from high living costs. Citizens expect real voices from different counties to shape the final document. Instead, stories like this one make people suspect the whole process sometimes gets engineered to look supportive on paper.

One video from the event shows groups of young men and women chatting casually while waiting for proceedings to begin. Some held the temporary IDs and compared notes on how much they would receive.

A few admitted openly that they had been called by contacts promising quick money for attending what seemed like an official gathering.

They did not appear to have deep knowledge of the bill contents or strong views either way. Their role seemed mainly to fill seats and create numbers.

Genuine participation should come from informed citizens who care about how new taxes on mobile money, digital services or imports might hit their pockets. When numbers get manufactured, trust in Parliament drops even lower.

University students in Nairobi and surrounding areas often struggle with rent, food and transport costs. For some the Ksh 1500 offer represented a full day’s meal money or more.

Critics say the government or its agents took advantage of that financial pressure to stage the event. Supporters of the administration, however, might claim that turnout at such forums can be low and incentives help ensure broader representation.

Either way, the use of fake details on identification raises serious questions about transparency. This is not the first time Kenyans have raised concerns about managed public hearings.

For now the story from Asyana Gardens adds another chapter to ongoing debates about trust in governance. Students got some quick cash, but the wider public received yet another reason to question how decisions that shape their futures actually get made.