NAIROBI, Kenya – The national government spent nearly Sh5 billion on travel in the first three months of the 2025/26 financial year, raising fresh questions over the effectiveness of austerity measures aimed at cutting recurrent expenditure.
According to the latest quarterly report by the Controller of Budget (CoB), domestic travel accounted for the bulk of the spending at Sh4.09 billion, while foreign travel cost the exchequer Sh877.21 million.
The expenditure falls under the “Use of Goods and Services” category, which covers a wide range of recurrent costs, including travel, hospitality, insurance, rent for non-residential buildings, training, legal fees, printing and maintenance of government assets.
Beyond travel, insurance emerged as the single largest expense during the period, with the government spending Sh17.41 billion.
Spending on specialised materials and supplies stood at Sh3.62 billion, while hospitality costs reached Sh2.19 billion.
Rent and rates for non-residential buildings accounted for Sh1.17 billion.
The latest figures come against the backdrop of repeated warnings by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o over what she has described as excessive executive travel.
In September, Nyakang’o revealed that the national government spent Sh25 billion on both local and foreign travel in the previous financial year alone.
The continued spending contrasts sharply with pledges by President William Ruto to rein in government travel costs.
At the launch of an austerity drive, the President said all government agencies would be required to cut travel expenses by 50 per cent.
Two years ago, President Ruto also promised to slash travel spending by Sh11 billion, arguing that the savings would create fiscal space for development projects and ease pressure on public finances.
Following the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024, he announced even stricter measures to curb what he termed unnecessary travel, citing the need to manage widening budget deficits.
However, the CoB’s latest report suggests that travel and other recurrent expenditures continue to absorb significant public resources, potentially undermining efforts to redirect spending towards development and fiscal consolidation.
