Budget Review and Outlook Paper Stories

Kenya’s 2026/27 budget set at Sh4.65 trillion – Here’s what it means for you
Alfred Onyango  |  Oct 21, 2025

The Treasury notes that the proposed increase in spending underscores the government’s continued focus on economic recovery, infrastructure developmen...

Treasury warns billions at risk as counties rely on third-party revenue systems
Lucy Mumbi  |  Oct 21, 2025

According to records from the Office of the Controller of Budget, counties missed their own-source revenue target of Sh87.67 billion by 23 per cent in...

Counties spend nearly half of budgets on salaries, audit shows
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 20, 2025

Data from the 47 counties indicates that 46.8 percent of their total budgets, equivalent to Sh470.74 billion, went toward personnel expenses.

Funding cuts spark urgency in state corporation shake-up, says Parliamentary Budget Office
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 15, 2025

The office urges the government to ensure transparency and communication throughout the restructuring process to safeguard service delivery and public...

Government’s increased revenue strategy faulted amid missed targets, public backlash
Alfred Onyango  |  Oct 15, 2025

The PBO attributes these missed targets to deep-seated inefficiencies, citing poor implementation of tax policies, weak enforcement mechanisms, and wi...

Controller of Budget flags 16 counties for concealing true staff expenditures
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 14, 2025

Only eight counties complied with the legal limit: Kilifi (24 per cent), Siaya (26 per cent), Tana River (27 per cent), Nakuru (30 per cent), Kwale (3...

Parliamentary Budget Office warns government borrowing risks slowing economic recovery
Lucy Mumbi  |  Oct 13, 2025

In its recent report, the Parliamentary Budget Office highlighted that while private sector credit has shown some gains, continued heavy borrowing by...

Bill proposes separate bank accounts for each State project to boost accountability
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 11, 2025

The National Treasury, together with oversight institutions, will be required to conduct regular capacity-building sessions on handling project accoun...

No job losses as Education Ministry announces major parastatal restructuring
Lucy Mumbi  |  Oct 06, 2025

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the restructuring will not lead to any job losses, assuring staff that essential services and oversight...

Kenya to launch National Infrastructure Fund to cut reliance on external borrowing
Lucy Mumbi  |  Oct 06, 2025

According to President William Ruto, the initiative will help the government tackle funding gaps that have stalled critical development projects.

Pressure mounts on finance executives to operationalise County Assembly Funds
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 02, 2025

The law requires each county to set up a County Assembly Fund, managed by the clerk, to receive and retain all assembly monies. Any withdrawals must b...

Counties face tightened oversight as Controller of Budget gains access to bank accounts
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 30, 2025

The reform introduces a new layer of oversight over county finances, allowing the budget controller to track cash movements and flag questionable acti...

Senators push for real-time access to county bank accounts amid Auditor-General warnings
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 25, 2025

Beyond real-time access, senators also directed the National Treasury to work with the Auditor-General’s office to conduct a comprehensive audit of al...

IEBC decries Sh57.3 billion allocation as inadequate for 2027 General Election
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 25, 2025

IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan said the commission had initially projected Sh61.7 billion for the polls, but the Treasury reduced the figure to Sh57.3...

No new levies in 2026 budget as Treasury focuses on improving revenue efficiency
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 25, 2025

Revenue for the coming financial year is projected at Sh3.58 trillion, while planned expenditure is Sh4.64 trillion, leaving a Sh1 trillion budget gap...

CoB Nyakang’o warns counties over heavy reliance on hospital fees, urges revenue diversification
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 24, 2025

Nyakang'o noted that while facility improvement funds helped offset some shortfalls, overreliance on health revenues leaves counties vulnerable to fis...

Nairobi leads August revenue allocation as counties receive Sh33.2 billion
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 23, 2025

The disbursement follows the approval of the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2025, which outlines how Sh415 billion of national revenue will be dis...

Contractors, suppliers on the brink as pending bills mount to Sh177 billion
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 23, 2025

Nairobi alone owes Sh62.38 billion in long-standing bills. Yet, in the past year, City Hall piled on Sh12.6 billion in fresh arrears, compounding the...

Counties lean on hospital fees to sustain operations as unpaid claims soar
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 23, 2025

Several counties exceeded their annual revenue targets, with Kisii collecting Sh982 million (178 per cent), Mandera and Wajir at 123 per cent, and Kir...

Nairobi hospitals fully absorb funds, boosting services in new health reforms
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 23, 2025

This milestone reflects disciplined financial management and better service delivery at key hospitals, including Mbagathi, Mama Lucy, Pumwani, and Mam...

Nyakang’o blasts counties over Sh125 billion revenue arrears, calls for urgent action
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 22, 2025

Nyakang’o said the arrears, which include billions owed in land rates, house rent and health fund contributions, risk crippling devolved functions if...

Controller of Budget pushes to list counties’ pending bills more than a year old as public debt
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 21, 2025

Nyakang’o said leaving unpaid bills outside the legal definition of public debt has allowed counties to accumulate dues uncontrollably, threatening pr...

Counties warned over dependence on Treasury amid untapped income streams
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 21, 2025

Nyakang’o said the persistent neglect of these streams has left most counties vulnerable to salary delays and service disruptions whenever Treasury di...

Governors, MCAs spent Sh16 billion on travel in one year, says CoB Margaret Nyakang’o
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 20, 2025

The report by Margaret Nyakang’o shows that Sh14.22 billion went to domestic travel, while another Sh2.01 billion was used on international trips.

16 counties on the spot for failing to pay staff despite receiving full Treasury funds
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 20, 2025

The wage bill continues to strain devolved units. Counties spent Sh220.6 billion on salaries and allowances in the year, a rise from Sh209.8 billion t...

CoB flags poor utilisation of development funds in counties, says only 12 met threshold
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 20, 2025

The figures point to an imbalance in county spending, with Sh346.98 billion, or 74 per cent of the overall Sh470.74 billion used for recurrent expendi...

CoB: Billions in potential revenue lost amid weak enforcement in counties
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 20, 2025

The review for the financial year ending June 30, 2025, reveals that counties fell short of their own-source revenue (OSR) targets by 23 per cent, lea...

CoB Margaret Nyakang’o admits error in Homa Bay County bank accounts report
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Sep 19, 2025

She added that the correction will be reflected in a revised edition of the Annual CGBIRR for 2024/25 to “maintain the integrity and accuracy of the p...

County own-source revenues under pressure as Siaya posts lowest performance
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 19, 2025

CoB Margaret Nyakang’o highlighted that heavy dependence on hospitals, which make up a large portion of revenue, coupled with arrears of Sh124.95 bill...

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