Parliament is pushing for direct visibility into government spending in real time, with lawmakers calling on the National Treasury to grant the Parliamentary Budget Office read-only access to the system that tracks public finances. The move is aimed at strengthening oversight by allowing continuous monitoring of how public funds are used.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi, has recommended that the Treasury, working together with the Clerk of the National Assembly, provide access to the Integrated Financial Management Information System. The committee has set April 30, 2026 as the deadline for the arrangement to be put in place.
“The committee recommends that by April 30, 2026, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, in consultation with the Clerk of the National Assembly, grant the Parliamentary Budget Office read-only access to the Integrated Financial Management Information System,” the report reads.
“This access will enable the office to monitor real-time budget execution and generate analytical reports to support parliamentary oversight.”
According to the committee, Parliament’s ability to effectively oversee public funds is limited by the lack of direct and timely access to financial data generated through IFMIS. The system remains under the sole control of the National Treasury, leaving lawmakers dependent on periodic reports shared by the executive.
“The unavailability of direct access to IFMIS hampers the Parliamentary Budget Office in providing timely analysis, independent verification and continuous monitoring of budget implementation.”
A member of the committee noted that delays in receiving expenditure reports often mean that by the time Parliament reviews the information, funds have already been spent. This has raised concerns among lawmakers that questionable transactions are difficult to halt once they have been processed.
The push for access also comes at a time when concerns are growing over the executive’s use of emergency provisions to authorize spending without full parliamentary scrutiny. The report indicates that the Treasury approved Sh245.9 billion under Article 223 of the Constitution, a provision meant for urgent and unforeseen needs.
Out of this amount, Sh185.8 billion has already been disbursed, including Sh144.4 billion allocated for a government bond buyback, which the committee suggests does not meet the threshold of an emergency.
The committee observed that some of the spending “were not truly unforeseen and could have either been incorporated in the original estimates.”
Lawmakers also pointed to recurring patterns of last-minute spending, particularly in the final quarter of the financial year when ministries accelerate procurement in an effort to use up allocated budgets before closure of the fiscal period. The report warns that this practice increases the likelihood of pending bills and funds being carried over.
With read-only access to IFMIS, the Parliamentary Budget Office would be able to track transactions as they happen, identify inconsistencies, monitor withdrawals, and follow disbursements to counties without delays. MPs argue this would strengthen accountability and improve transparency in the use of public funds.
The Treasury has in the past resisted calls for external access to IFMIS, citing concerns over cybersecurity. However, lawmakers maintain that read-only access would not interfere with system operations since it does not allow any changes to financial data.
IFMIS was introduced at a cost of more than Sh12 billion with the aim of improving financial management and reducing losses of public funds. Despite this, past reviews have pointed to weaknesses in the system’s controls.
A review of Treasury accounts for the period ending June 30, 2022 revealed gaps in the system, including cases where individuals were able to create accounts and use them in ways that led to the loss of public money. Auditor General Nancy Gathungu flagged these weaknesses, noting that internal controls could be bypassed.
The audit further showed inconsistencies between balances reflected in financial statements and those recorded in IFMIS schedules, raising additional concerns about accuracy and reliability of the system’s records.
