NAIROBI, Kenya — The Government Printer has warned that production of key state documents — including title deeds, gazette notices, logbooks, and electoral materials — faces disruption due to mounting unpaid debts and inadequate budget allocation.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Special Funds Accounts, the agency said persistent financial shortfalls and lack of modern printing equipment have forced it to outsource sensitive government printing, raising concerns over efficiency and costs.
Government Printer CEO Abdi Hassan told the committee the institution has trained personnel but lacks machinery and funding to handle critical assignments such as printing examination papers and ballot papers for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
“Government Printer is the nerve, the skeleton and the driving force for this great country. If not modernised and if something is not done as far as debts and budget allocation are concerned, then it will be bound to fail,” Hassan said.
He noted that documents such as Acts, Bills across the 47 counties, title deeds, logbooks and birth certificates are handled by the Government Printer for security reasons, warning that outsourcing could compromise operational efficiency.
“So my request is for us to get enough budget allocation, and all this money for outsourcing printing will come back to the government,” he added.
Committee chairperson Fatuma Mohammed clarified that the panel is an audit body and cannot approve budgetary allocations, but pledged to push for parliamentary intervention.
“We are an audit committee, and we cannot give you a budget, but we can be your witness that, due to debts, you are not able to move. By next week, we will table a motion and ask for statements on these institutions that owe you money,” she said.
The committee had summoned the Government Printer to respond to queries arising from the Office of the Auditor-General, Kenya, report on financial statements for the 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years.
The audit for the 2022/2023 financial year flagged long-outstanding debts totalling Sh475,448,391 accumulated between 2017 and 2022, with recovery considered doubtful.
Management acknowledged the findings, saying efforts were ongoing to recover the arrears from government agencies.
Among notable debtors listed were the IEBC, the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, which collectively account for a large share of unpaid printing services.
The agency warned that without urgent funding and equipment modernisation, production of critical government documents could face delays, potentially affecting service delivery across multiple sectors.
