A remarkable financial report from the National Treasury has set off a scandal of public outrage and at the same time laid bare the fact that the State House and the Office of the Deputy President have, in the short period of just 180 days, consumed a total of Ksh 7 billion. This exorbitant consumption is happening at a time when the Kenyan taxpayer is already suffering from heavy tax increases and expensive living.
The most recent data provided by the Controller of Budget indicates that the government is living a life far removed from the harsh reality of its citizens. The government’s demand for cash was so huge that during the last quarter of the year, it was able to receive billions of shillings daily, which were then spent on “hospitality” and travel as well as secret expenditures.
The speed of this government spending has left the economic analysts in disbelief, and they are warning that the government is exhausting its annual budget so quickly that it will have to ask for a huge supplementary budget that is going to further increase the national debt.
The report indicates a troubling inequality where the Office of the President and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have the highest consumptions, but the other sectors are still suffering financially.
Sectors like health and education that are vital for the survival of the country are still being starved of resources while the government’s cash flow is still very much alive. The most surprising part is that the report reveals that a large portion of this Ksh 7 billion was spent on local and international travel, and this has led to raising doubts about the actual benefits that these high-profile trips have brought.
This “spending spree” is taking place against the backdrop of austerity commitments that are now being treated as mere rhetoric. The exposure has given the opposition and civil society groups a very strong weapon, and they now demand a complete forensic audit to be carried out on the State House payroll and procurement.
While the Treasury is in a tight spot trying to keep things balanced, the Kenyan population is left asking: how can the government support a billion-shilling entertainment bill when the average Kenyan is not able to afford food?
This financial loss is no longer. a matter of budget only; it has become a political crisis that might end up taking away the administration’s credibility even before the fiscal year reaches the third quarter.
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