Wetang’ula clarifies law on President’s absence during budget presentation

A debate over the absence of the Head of State during the 2026/2027 budget presentation unfolded in Parliament on Thursday, June 11, as the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula clarified the legal position and dismissed claims of a constitutional concern raised by sections of the opposition.

The Speaker stated that the President is not required to attend the House when the National Treasury presents the budget statement.

He aligned himself with Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, who had pushed back against claims from the United Opposition that President William Ruto should have been present in Parliament during the budget reading.

Wetang’ula emphasized that the Constitution does not place any obligation on the President to attend the budget presentation, noting that the process is handled by the National Treasury and Parliament.

"Honourable members, for the avoidance of doubt, the President of the country is under no obligation to attend Parliament on the day when the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary comes, not to read a budget, but to make a statement and to give the country his revenue raising measures,'

"If the President chose to come, he would sit in the Speaker's row, not where I am sitting, where he normally sits when he comes to address the House. There is no such thing as a crisis because the President is out of the country; the Budget is a preserve and activity of the National Assembly, exclusively," the Speaker ruled.

The clarification followed remarks by the United Opposition questioning the absence of President William Ruto during the presentation, arguing it reflected an unusual break from past practice.

However, Wetang’ula maintained that such claims were not supported by law, stressing that the budget process remains a parliamentary function independent of the President’s physical presence.

Ichung’wah accused the opposition of misleading the public over both the budget and the Finance Bill 2026, including calls for its rejection in totality, which he said were based on incorrect interpretations.

He noted that public participation had already been conducted, with views collected from Kenyans and submitted to Parliament for consideration before debate and approval.

Junet also responded to remarks attributed to former Attorney General Justin Muturi, who had suggested that the situation was unusual due to the President’s absence.

" I heard the former Speaker saying that this is the first time that a budget is being read when the president is not around. The last President who attended this House when we were reading the Budget was the late Mwai Kibaki under the old Constitution.

"It looks like these people don't know what is happening in the country. It is the Treasury who is supposed to present the budget, not the President," the Suna East MP said.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi later arrived in Parliament to present the 2026/2027 budget statement, his first since taking office. He described it as a people-centred budget and said it was informed by consultations with Kenyans.

On June 10, United Opposition leaders had raised concerns over the Finance Bill 2026, arguing that it could increase financial pressure on citizens and encourage unnecessary government spending.