Controller of Budget sounds alarm over rising Sh12tr debt burden

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o before the National Assembly's Committee on Public Debt & Privatization to deliberate on the Consolidated Funds Services for FY 2025/26 at Bunge Towers, Parliament, Nairobi. May 30th,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Kenya’s Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o has issued a stark warning over the country’s rapidly growing public debt, which reached Sh11.73 trillion by the end of June 2025, raising concerns about fiscal sustainability and economic stability. 

In the latest National Government Budget Implementation Review Report for the 2024-25 financial year, Dr Nyakang'o noted that the government had significantly deviated from its own borrowing policy, with domestic borrowing outpacing external loans despite a medium-term strategy recommending a balanced 50:50 mix.