Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has called for a review of Kenya’s budget-making process warning that ballooning recurrent costs are crowding out essential development spending.
Speaking during a forum by the Institute of Public Finance at the Hyatt Regency in Nairobi, Nyoro said more than Ksh1.25 trillion of Kenya’s budget goes to fixed expenses, leaving little room for building roads, schools, or other key projects.
“When you talk about development, you’re budgeting around Ksh700 billion, but what usually happens is by mid-financial year, you’ll realise we are Ksh300 billion short in revenue collection. You can’t cut debt payments, salaries, pensions or counties — the first casualty is development,” he stated.
Nyoro, a former chair of the National Assembly Budget Committee, also warned that the situation could get worse as Kenya heads into another election season.
He said the electoral commission is likely to request about Ksh60 billion, an amount he claims is more than what the entire roads sector receives.
“That budget for IEBC alone is bigger than what we allocate to the entire road sector. So before politicians talk about roads and water, they haven’t said anything about development,” he stated.
The lawmaker further called for institutional reforms to enhance efficiency, arguing that Kenya could slash the size of its government without undermining service delivery.
“If government was a loaf of bread, you could cut it in half, and my grandmother wouldn’t even notice, services would remain the same,” Nyoro stated.
As the government prepares its next financial year budget, the conversation now turns to how Kenya can balance constitutional obligations, debt servicing, and the growing demand for public development.
By KBC Reporter
