State House budget for hospitality, travel more than double after Uhuru
An analysis of Kenyan government spending reveals that State House travel and hospitality expenses have more than doubled under President William Ruto compared to his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta. The report breaks down the significant increases in domestic and foreign travel costs across the Presidency and the Deputy President's office.
Why it matters
The report raises questions regarding fiscal responsibility and transparency in government spending during a period of economic scrutiny.
State House travel and hospitality expenses under President William Ruto have more than doubled since he took over from his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
This is despite Ruto giving separate allocations to the office of the deputy president and the Executive Office of the President.
Under Uhuru, the three offices were consolidated and given resources as a unit.
An analysis by the Star shows that expenses in some of the three budget lines — domestic and foreign travel and hospitality — have more than doubled.
From the 2022-23 financial year, when Ruto took over the reins of power, to the 2024-25 financial year, State House spent Sh7 billion on domestic travel.
State House has also spent Sh1 billion on foreign travel and another Sh6.22 billion on hospitality.
The Office of the Deputy President spent Sh904.76 million on domestic travel, with Sh568.80 million spent last year alone.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in