The Controller of Budget has raised concern over continued high spending by national government institutions, showing that austerity promises are not being fully followed.
In her nine-month expenditure report covering the period to March 2026, Parliament, State House and other offices are still spending large amounts on travel and hospitality even as government leaders push for cuts in non-essential costs.
The report shows that the national government spent Sh3.4 trillion during the nine months period. Out of this, Sh2.9 trillion, or 85 per cent, went to recurrent expenditure while Sh507.9 billion was used for development projects.
Despite repeated calls for tighter spending, travel and hospitality costs remain high.
In total, government expenditure on domestic and foreign travel stood at Sh17.3 billion, reflecting a continued rise in non-core spending. The Controller of Budget notes that this trend persists even with public commitments to reduce unnecessary expenditure across State offices.
State House is among the highest spenders on foreign travel, coming second only to the Foreign Affairs department. During the review period, State House spent Sh1.3 billion on foreign travel and Sh69 million on local travel.
The Office of the Deputy President also recorded notable spending on travel, using Sh76 million on foreign travel and Sh222 million on domestic travel. At Parliament level, the National Assembly spent Sh2.8 billion on foreign travel and Sh1.5 billion on domestic travel between July 2025 and March 2026. Senators, on their part, used Sh1 billion on local travel and an additional Sh815 million on foreign travel.
The report also highlights rising hospitality costs, with government institutions spending Sh4.9 billion in the same period, adding pressure to efforts aimed at reducing non-essential expenditure.
The Controller of Budget report points to a gap between policy statements on austerity and actual spending behaviour, especially in State offices that continue to allocate large sums to travel and related activities.