Government Spent Sh42.4 Billion on Travel and Hospitality

The government spent Sh42.41 billion on travel and hospitality during the 2025/26 financial year, according to Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o. ¶

Of this, Sh30.69 billion went to domestic and foreign travel, while another Sh11.72 billion was spent on hospitality, mainly tea and refreshments.

State House, Parliament and the Interior Ministry were among the biggest spenders. State House alone spent Sh2.4 billion on domestic travel, while its hospitality bill stood at Sh1.66 billion.

The spending is likely to raise fresh questions about the government's promise to cut unnecessary expenditure.

The Controller of Budget has raised concerns after Sh209.37 billion was spent outside the expenditure plans approved by Parliament in the 2025/26 financial year.

The amount was more than three times the Sh66.54 billion recorded the previous year.

The government used Article 223 of the Constitution, which allows additional spending for emergencies or expenses that could not reasonably have been foreseen when the budget was prepared.

However, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o found cases where the provision was being used to fund routine government operations, rather than genuine emergencies.

Treasury alone spent Sh148.2 billion through this arrangement.