State officials flock to Geneva, New York and Dubai despite travel limits - CoB
The most expensive single trip was a 15-day mission by 40 officials from the State Department for Labour and Skills Development to attend the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference.
Kenya spent Sh2.9 billion on foreign trips by State officials in the year to June 2025, revealing large delegations, costly missions, and unusual spending even as the government tried to rein in overseas travel.
The Controller of Budget (CoB) report shows Geneva, New York, and Dubai as the most visited cities. Geneva alone accounted for Sh147 million, with the most expensive single trip being a 15-day mission by 40 officials from the State Department for Labour and Skills Development to attend the International Labour Organisation conference.
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“Facilitation of the core team to the 113th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland,” the report said.
New York trips followed at Sh80.7 million, mainly for delegations attending bilateral meetings and United Nations events, while Dubai hosted 70 officials for training and workshops, costing Sh56 million.
Washington also featured prominently, with 71 officials spending Sh38.5 million on activities including Africa-US trade talks, World Bank events, and President William Ruto’s State visit in May 2024.
The report reveals that 12 countries accounted for 56 per cent of the total expenditure. Ethiopia led with Sh1.12 billion, followed by the US (Sh147.6 million), Switzerland (Sh147 million), Tanzania (Sh68.4 million), Dubai (Sh56 million), South Sudan (Sh41.2 million), China (Sh27.4 million), and Uganda (Sh18.5 million).
China trips included President Ruto’s visit, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, with some costs covered by organisers.
The CoB highlighted unusual spending, such as Sh300,000 paid for winter clothing for five Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officers during a one-week undercover training in Florida.
Dorcas Rigathi, spouse of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, also spent Sh4.39 million attending the African Widows’ Summit in Zanzibar in June 2024.
The spending surge comes despite an October 2023 circular from Head of Public Service Felix Koskey, which suspended non-essential foreign travel.
“Consequently and following advisory from the National Treasury, it has been decided that official foreign travel in respect of benchmarking and study visits, trainings and related capacity building initiatives, conferences and meetings of general participation, is suspended with immediate effect,” the circular said.
Delegations were capped at three for cabinet secretaries, two for principal secretaries, and one for heads of state corporations.
Most trips, however, involved up to 40 officials and in many cases lasted longer than the seven-day limit set in the circular, highlighting the challenge of enforcing travel restrictions.
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