This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
Published on June 24, 2020, data from the Controller of Budget reveals that the Presidency, comprising the offices of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto, spent Sh1.18 billion on parties and receptions in the nine months to March 2020.
This represents a 55.6 per cent jump in spending compared to the Sh758.2 million spent at a similar period a year earlier.
The increase in entertainment expenditure comes amid an austerity push by the Treasury to cut down on non-essential spending in efforts to free up cash for development and essential services such as health and education.
According to the Controller of Budget, the Presidency's entertainment budget accounted for a quarter of the Sh4.5 billion that public offices spent on parties and receptions during the period.
Other top spenders on parties during the period included the Interior Ministry at Sh900.2 million and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which saw a 69 per cent jump in its entertainment budget to Sh604.4 million.
These increases defy calls by the Treasury and President Kenyatta for cuts on non-essential spending, particularly in the wake of new austerity measures announced by the Treasury in September last year.
