The state house continues to spend large on hospitality, travel, and allowances despite the austerity pledge by President William Ruto, according to a new report by the Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakango.
The auditor general report shows that State House spent Sh963 million on the purchase of new vehicles and refurbishment of buildings alone.
Likewise, it spent Sh298.16 million by the end of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, on foreign travel, with hospitality galloping a staggering Sh1.17 billion.
‘Other Expenses’, the data shows, amounted to Sh100.95 billion, representing 4 percent of the total gross recurrent expenditure.
The report also shows significant expenditures by various government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), casting doubt on the government’s commitment to cost-cutting measures.
“MDAs reported a total expenditure of Kshs.8.35 billion under the category. National Police Service recorded the highest at Kshs.1.06 billion, followed by the State House at Kshs.963 million,” read the report in part.
“The State Department for Foreign Affairs and the State House recorded the highest recurrent expenditure of the revised gross budget at 100 percent.”
In June this year, President Ruto announced new austerity measures aimed at scaling down the budget deficit in government after the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 following weeks of protests that left more than 60 people dead.
President Ruto then said that the dropping of the bill would result in a budget deficit, with no additional taxation mechanism to finance the Sh3.9 trillion budget for the upcoming financial year.
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He assured those operational expenditures in the three arms of government, as well as devolved units, would be reduced.
“In the Presidency and Office of the Presidency, we will reduce the confidential vote, travel budget, hospitality, purchase of motor vehicles, renovations, and other expenditures,” Ruto stated earlier.
President Ruto affirmed his administration’s commitment to listening to the will of the people and vowed to tackle corruption ruthlessly.
The Head of State noted that various pending development projects would face setbacks due to the budget cuts, given the calls by Kenyans for a ‘leaner’ budget during these harsh economic times.
