NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan diplomats and foreign missions faced severe financial strain due to the delayed disbursement of funds by the National Treasury, leaving staff unpaid and embassies struggling to meet operational costs, an audit report has revealed.
The audit, covering the financial year ending June 2024, shows that while the Treasury allocated Sh14.35 billion to Kenya’s diplomatic missions in quarterly tranches, funds were only released in the last month of each quarter.
This created cash flow challenges that disrupted salaries, allowances, supplier payments, and office expenses.
The funding delays have reportedly dampened staff morale and raised concerns about Kenya’s ability to sustain its diplomatic presence abroad.
“The delayed disbursement negatively affected staff morale, caused low confidence, and exposed the country to reputational risks,” the audit warns.
Some embassies have been unable to procure essential supplies on time, while others struggled to maintain operational efficiency.
The delays also affected the image of Kenya’s diplomatic missions, which serve as the country’s official representation abroad.
Embassies in Deteriorating Conditions
Beyond financial constraints, the report highlights worsening conditions at several embassies, with some operating in insecure or deteriorating buildings.
For instance, the Kenya High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, was found to be in urgent need of repairs.
A mission vehicle stolen in 2022 had yet to be replaced, with no insurance claim filed, and authorities had made no arrests in connection with the theft.
In Beijing, China, the Kenyan mission lacked basic security measures, including CCTV cameras and security guards.
Meanwhile, the Berlin mission in Germany had a leaking roof, cracked walls, and structural defects that posed risks to personnel and visitors.
The situation in Paris was no better, with auditors finding major cracks running through the walls of the chancery from the ground floor to the third floor.
Basement and yard flooding, ceiling leaks, and peeling paint further illustrated the embassy’s poor state.
In Tanzania, the Kenyan mission in Dar es Salaam is struggling with land encroachment risks and stalled renovations.
A five-acre parcel of land in Dodoma remains unfenced, leaving it vulnerable to illegal occupation.
The renovation of two staff houses in Mikocheni, which had been allocated KSh3.4 million, has remained incomplete since 2020, further deteriorating living and working conditions for embassy personnel.
Perhaps most concerning, the audit revealed that a residential property under the mission’s management was sold in December 2021 for Sh20 million, yet the proceeds had not been remitted to the State Department for Foreign Affairs.
The delay has raised accountability concerns over the handling of government assets.
The findings underscore the growing financial struggles of Kenya’s foreign missions, with delayed funding and mismanagement threatening the country’s diplomatic effectiveness.
With embassies struggling to meet obligations and essential maintenance ignored, Kenya risks undermining its global standing and weakening its foreign service operations.
