MPs want new Kenyan embassies audited before funding
The calls come after an audit report by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, revealed that some of Kenya’s existing embassies, including those in Abuja (Nigeria), Berlin (Germany), and Paris (France), are in a state of disrepair with leaking roofs requiring urgent attention.
Members of Parliament have demanded that funding for newly established embassies and consulates be justified through a comprehensive evaluation before they are operationalised.
The National Assembly's Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee argues that expanding Kenya’s diplomatic footprint without addressing existing challenges could strain government resources.
The calls come after an audit report by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, revealed that some of Kenya’s existing embassies, including those in Abuja (Nigeria), Berlin (Germany), and Paris (France), are in a state of disrepair with leaking roofs requiring urgent attention.
Gathungu’s audit, which covered the financial year ending June 2024, exposed that delays in fund disbursement by the Treasury had left Kenyan diplomats stranded without salaries while key embassies struggled to meet their financial obligations.
“Review of records provided for audit indicated that the disbursements were done in the last month of the respective quarters. This resulted in delayed payments to local staff, foreign service allowances for home-based staff, suppliers, office expenses, and delayed procurement processes, which may have affected the country’s image abroad,” reads the audit report.
The delays, according to Gathungu, put Kenya’s diplomatic operations at risk, impacting staff morale and eroding confidence in the government’s ability to sustain its missions abroad.
The committee has now recommended that only strategic and economically viable diplomatic missions should receive funding. Additionally, it has proposed merging the State Department for Diaspora Affairs and the State Department for East African Community Affairs into the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to enhance efficiency and reduce administrative costs.
Committee chairperson Nelson Koech emphasised the need for a thorough assessment of new embassies and consulates before they become fully functional. He said the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, should present a comprehensive evaluation report to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
“This report should outline the economic viability and strategic significance of the new mission or consulate in relation to Kenya's foreign policy and economic interests,” Koech said in a report on the Supplementary Budget II.
Concerns
He expressed concerns about the government’s continued expansion of diplomatic missions while existing ones struggle with inadequate staffing and budget constraints.
“The ongoing expansion of diplomatic missions and consulates general, without tackling the challenges faced by current missions, raises concerns about the intentions behind this continued diplomatic footprint expansion. It is likely to exacerbate the existing issues of insufficient staffing and budgets,” Koech warned.
According to the committee, the State Department for Foreign Affairs (SDFA) had received Cabinet approval to operationalise six new diplomatic missions and consulates in the current financial year. These include consulates in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Asmara (Eritrea), Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Bogotá (Colombia), Budapest (Hungary), and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
“The mission in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and the consulate general in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, have already been set up,” Koech said.
He further urged the Executive to explore the feasibility of integrating the State Department for Diaspora Affairs and the State Department for East African Community Affairs within the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to optimise resource utilisation.
“Given the constrained resources, this approach could enhance efficiency by reducing the significant personnel and administrative expenses associated with operating a standalone State Department,” he said.
During a parliamentary session on March 6, 2025, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Singoei revealed that the SDFA had initially been allocated Sh2.39 billion for development in the approved budget. However, the allocation was later reduced to zero in the Supplementary Estimates I for the 2024/25 financial year.
“To date in the current financial year, the State Department has incurred expenditure commitments of ongoing projects of approximately Sh1.1 billion against no budgetary provisions,” Singoei said in submissions to the committee.
He stressed that immediate intervention was necessary to reinstate the budget to prevent further accumulation of pending bills.
“The rationalisation of the development budget to zero in Supplementary Estimates I has led to several critical issues, including claims for delayed works and idle capacity, claims for interest penalties on delayed payments, civil litigation arising from failure to observe contractual obligations, and a negative image for the country,” Singoei explained.
He added that changes in Supplementary Budget II had affected Sh399.12 million needed to cater for new missions, additional salaries and allowances for new agency offices, and newly appointed Deputy Ambassadors.
“The approved budget for the Ministry has been revised from Sh20 billion to Sh21.1 billion under Supplementary Estimates II, reflecting an entirely recurrent increase of Sh1.1 billion,” Singoei said.
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