Treasury increases NIS budget by Sh9.3 billion to counter security threats
NIS spending remains one of the least scrutinised government expenditures, as its budget is typically presented as a single-line item without public disclosure.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has received an additional Sh9.3 billion in its budget to bolster security operations amid rising threats from Al-Shabaab, drone attacks by insurgents and an upsurge in cyber-attacks.
The revised budget, now standing at Sh55.65 billion up from Sh46.35 billion, was disclosed during a session of the National Assembly’s Liaison Committee.
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Chairperson of the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee Nelson Koech, said the additional funding was necessary to address growing instability in neighbouring countries, including Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan.
“In the Financial Year 2024/25 Supplementary Estimates No. II, NIS budget has been revised from Sh46.35 billion to Sh55.65 billion, reflecting an increase of Sh9.3 billion on account of the need for increased surveillance due to Al-Shabaab threats/attacks and resurgence of ISIS & OLA (Ethiopia) activities on our borders,” Koech told the committee.
The spy agency is also ramping up efforts to counter the use of drones by militants targeting key installations.
“This budget increment will also enhance service capacity to deal with rising cyber-attack cases and allow continued monitoring of the security situation due to heightened political activities in the country,” NIS Director of Administration David Karanja said in his submissions to the committee on March 5, 2025.
According to a report on the supplementary budget tabled before the Liaison Committee on March 10, 2025, NIS had already spent Sh28.74 billion — 62.01 per cent of its original allocation — by December 31, 2024.
Karanja, who represented NIS Director-General Noordin Haji, also clarified that the intelligence agency had not withdrawn any funds under Article 223 of the Constitution, which allows the government to use money outside the approved budget under special circumstances.
Despite the budget increment, concerns were raised over the lack of a detailed expenditure breakdown.
“The committee observed that the NIS budget is submitted as a one-line item. In the submissions made, there is a further categorisation without a detailed itemised breakdown for the committee to fully interrogate the figures before approval,” Koech said.
The Defence and Foreign Relations Committee has now recommended that NIS provide a more detailed budget breakdown in future submissions, albeit in a closed-door session, to allow lawmakers to better understand the agency’s cost drivers.
“We have scheduled an in-house meeting with the NIS to get the finer details of the Sh9.3 billion additional expenditure,” Koech added.
He also defended the need for the increased budget, highlighting the cost of intelligence gathering.
“For counter-terrorism, I know there is a lot to be done. It involves a lot of money to gather intelligence to thwart potential threats. You can only spend money to get crucial and credible intelligence information,” he said.
NIS spending remains one of the least scrutinised government expenditures, as its budget is typically presented as a single-line item without public disclosure.
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