A third of Sh4.2 trillion national budget will go to waste or stolen

National Treasury CS John Mbadi(2nd left) with his PS Chris Kiptoo(left), National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Samuel Atandi(2nd right) and CBK Governor Kamau Thugge(right) addressing the media during the Budget Policy Highlights and Revenue Raising Measures for the FY 2025-26 Budget at Parliament onn June 12, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The annual budget process is an official ritual that Kenyans cannot avoid courtesy of the country's established constitutional and democratic order. Over the years, the budget making process has become a mixed bag depending on which side of the feeding trough one stands on.

What is certain however, from various accountability frameworks, including audited government accounts, Controller of Budgets (CoB) reports, anti-corruption and civil society oversight, is that a significant amount of the appropriated funds is usually set aside for official waste and outright theft. With this in mind, the only question open for debate is: How much of the 2025/26 budget allocations shall trickle down for the benefit of Wanjiku?