NAIROBI, Kenya – A standoff has erupted in Parliament over a controversial plan to allocate Sh4.5 billion from the Tourism Promotion Fund for the renovation of Bomas of Kenya—a project already receiving Sh31.6 billion in private funding from Turkish firm Summa Turizm Yatirimciligi Sirketi.
The National Assembly’s Tourism and Wildlife Committee has suspended approval of the 2025/26 budget for the Tourism Fund, citing a lack of transparency and calling for clarity on how the funds are being utilised.
“The Tourism Promotion Fund is meant to support tourism development, not projects that fall outside our mandate,” said committee chair Kareke Mbiuki. “We are not prepared to approve the budget until we have a clear understanding of the programmes that these funds will support.”
The directive to allocate Sh4.5 billion came from Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, sparking sharp criticism from MPs and Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, who confirmed she has formally sought clarification from the Treasury.
“I have raised these concerns with the Treasury,” Miano told the committee, adding that the project’s funding status was unclear.
The situation has been further complicated by Bomas of Kenya’s placement under the Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage—raising questions about why the Tourism Fund is being tapped to finance a project outside the Tourism docket.
Meanwhile, several tourism-related institutions continue to suffer from chronic underfunding.
Among them is the Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Kilifi County, a hospitality training facility that has faced repeated delays and funding shortfalls since its inception more than a decade ago.
It remains incomplete despite being earmarked as a flagship project for regional tourism development.
MPs also pointed to the underfunding of the Tourism Research Institute, which is responsible for analysing tourism data and trends critical to sectoral planning.
“We need to understand the priorities of the government. Why are we using funds meant for tourism development on a project that is already being financed by a private company?” Mbiuki posed.
Despite tourism being Kenya’s third-largest source of government revenue—behind agriculture and diaspora remittances—key institutions in the sector continue to operate under financial constraints.
Treasury data shows that tourism earnings hit Sh452.2 billion in 2023, with projections indicating a rise to Sh560 billion this year.
The committee has warned that it will not approve the Tourism Promotion Fund’s budget until it receives a detailed breakdown of how the funds are being allocated and why.
