The National Treasury has brought forward the country's 2027-28 budget process, setting an earlier timetable that will see Parliament approve all key spending and tax laws months before Kenyans go to the ballot in the August 2027 General Election.
The revised calendar, announced on Wednesday by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, pushes forward major stages of the budget-making process by nearly three months.
The changes will require lawmakers to complete debate and pass both the Finance Bill, 2027 and the Appropriation Bill by the end of March, allowing the government to conclude the budget well before the election period begins.
The new timetable breaks away from the schedule followed in normal financial years. For the current 2026-27 budget, Mbadi presented the Sh4.82 trillion Budget Highlights in Parliament on June 11, with the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill considered before the financial year started on July 1.
The move follows the established practice under Kenya's Public Finance Management framework, which requires the national budget to be completed before Parliament is dissolved in an election year. The arrangement is intended to ensure the legislative process is not interrupted as political campaigns gather momentum ahead of the polls.
Under the revised schedule, the Draft Budget Review and Outlook Paper will be published by August 15 before it is presented to the Cabinet for approval by August 30.
Sector Working Groups will prepare expenditure proposals between September 7 and October 2, laying the groundwork for spending plans across government ministries, departments and agencies.
The Draft Budget Policy Statement, together with the Division of Revenue Bill and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, will be submitted to Parliament by November 30 after receiving Cabinet approval.
Treasury will then present the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and table the Finance Bill, 2027 in Parliament by January 29. The Appropriation Bill is expected to be introduced in the National Assembly by March 8.
Mbadi will deliver the 2027-28 Budget Highlights in the National Assembly on March 18, almost three months earlier than the traditional budget reading held every June.
Both the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill are expected to become law by the end of March, completing the budget process months before the August 10, 2027 General Election.
In a normal budget cycle, the process begins with the Budget Review and Outlook Paper before moving to the Budget Policy Statement, sector consultations, public participation and the presentation of spending estimates ahead of parliamentary approval of the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill.