Austerity for who? State splurges Sh27b on foreign trips

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o when she appeared before the National Assembly's Finance Committee at Parliament Nairobi earlier this year.  [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

When President William Ruto issued a directive banning non-essential foreign travel for all state officials in October last year, it was expected that this would significantly reduce the amount the country spends on paying for overseas trips that give little value for money for taxpayers. 

It, however, appears that these were mere words or government officials blatantly ignored their boss, with travel expenditure for the year to June 2024 going up 34 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

A new report by the Controller of Budget (COB) shows that spending on both domestic and foreign travel increased by Sh6.97 billion over the financial year to Sh27.34 billion from Sh20.37 billion in the financial year to June 2023.