The Office of the Deputy President has requested an additional Sh1.89 billion in the Supplementary Estimates No. 1 for the Financial Year 2025/2026 to support its operations and the implementation of government programmes.
Appearing before the National Assembly of Kenya Committee on Administration and Internal Security on March 13, 2026, Principal Administrative Secretary Moses Mbaruku told lawmakers that the office had initially been allocated Sh3.07 billion, comprising Sh2.97 billion under the recurrent budget and Sh100 million under the development budget.
However, the office is now seeking additional funding of Sh1.89 billion to support the execution of planned programmes and activities during the current financial year.
The office stated that the revised allocation is necessary to sustain its mandate of coordinating government programmes and supporting the implementation of national priorities.
Mbaruku said the supplementary estimates come at a critical moment as the Deputy President’s office coordinates national programmes and supports the government’s development agenda.
“The consideration of the Supplementary Estimates No. 1 for FY 2025/26 comes at a critical time when the Deputy President, in his delegated role, is consolidating national efforts towards coordination, oversight, and acceleration of the implementation of priority programmes, projects, and initiatives,” Mbaruku said.
The additional funds, according to Mbaruku, will cater for several expenditure needs within the office, including a salary deficit arising from new appointments of supernumerary staff attached to the Deputy President’s office.
The supplementary request also includes reallocations within the existing budget, including Sh60 million redirected to cover shortfalls in hospitality and domestic travel—Sh36 million for hospitality expenses and Sh24 million for domestic travel.
Mbaruku told the committee that the extra funding will help the office continue supporting the coordination of government programmes and ensure smooth implementation of key national initiatives.
MP Dido Rasso warned that misuse of Article 223 could undermine proper planning in public finance.
“We must see a good example set for other offices in the country,” he said. “Relying on this provision could distort the budgeting framework. Use of Article 223 risks turning budgets into fleeting allocations rather than planned programmes. Ultimately, this would be an abuse of the budgeting process. The article should only plug emergencies, not provide money for general spending.”
On the other hand, Mbaruku clarified that media reports claiming Sh44 million had been spent on the Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President were incorrect, noting that the entity no longer exists in the current financial year.
“The Controller of Budget (COB) erroneously indicated this expenditure based on information from their website. That office was scrapped during the 2024/25 financial year,” he said.
He added that the office formally protested the claim, prompting the Controller of Budget to acknowledge the mistake.
“When the error was made, it affected us. We wrote to them, and they apologized, confirming that the document sent in December did not reflect any expenditure. The COB has since updated the record and removed the incorrect document,” Mbaruku explained.
