National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei has defended Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s Sh153.6 million travel expenditure, saying Parliament should prioritise accountability over the size of the budget used by his office.
Shollei said the President and Deputy President are required to travel across the country to oversee government projects and cannot remain in Nairobi while carrying out their constitutional duties.
Her remarks come after documents from Kindiki’s office submitted to Parliament showed that Sh153.6 million was spent on helicopter trips within 75 days in a year, sparking debate on government spending priorities and public finance accountability.
She argued that both the Head of State and his deputy have a constitutional duty to move across the country to engage with national projects and ensure effective service delivery.
“The President and the DP are obligated to travel across the country and follow up on ongoing projects. They cannot be holed up in the city and purport to be the president,” she said during an interview with Citizen TV on Monday.
Shollei further maintained that Parliament’s role is to scrutinise expenditure during the budget-making process and assess whether public funds are being used efficiently, rather than focusing solely on the amounts allocated or spent.
“All Parliament needs to do is to deliberate with them at the budget-making process, as long as the money is put to good use, it is not about the amount. You need to ask whether good use was put to Sh154 million. If they can justify that it was the most efficient and cheap way, then it is okay," she said.
However, Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji criticised the spending, arguing that the money used on travel could be redirected to more urgent public needs.
“This money can go to better use. If you look at his schedule, you'll see a trend of just moving around and nothing much to show for it. We need to crack down on government hiring choppers. It is what is inflating these budgets. They should move using roads,” he said.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan urged caution, saying the claims should not be rushed to conclusions and should instead be verified through Parliament’s oversight mechanisms, particularly the Public Accounts Committee.
The Deputy President’s office has faced increased scrutiny over rising expenditure after the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee raised concerns over pending bills amounting to Sh478 million owed to suppliers and service providers for the 2024/25 financial year.
Lawmakers also questioned helicopter-related costs, citing alleged daily chopper expenses of up to Sh8 million, as well as outstanding payments of about Sh150 million for helicopter services.
The debate came just a day after MPs unanimously approved an additional Sh450 million for the Deputy President’s office under Supplementary Estimates I for the 2025/26 financial year.
According to a report by the Controller of Budget, the office used 91 per cent of its initial allocation—Sh2.7 billion—in less than six months. The report also showed that 54 per cent of the expenditure was classified under non-classified expenses.
The developments have heightened scrutiny over the growing cost of running the Deputy President’s office, even as government officials insist that fiscal discipline measures are being implemented across the public sector.
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