Low turnout marks budget reading as MPs observe moment of silence

Treasury CS John Mbadi reads the budget at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi. June 12th, 2025 [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Parliament was a near-empty shell on Thursday afternoon as Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi delivered his maiden budget statement for the 2025/26 Financial Year.

What is traditionally a packed chamber for such a major national event was instead marked by rows of empty seats and muted attendance.

Despite the House having 349 members, only a fraction turned up for the reading of the country’s Sh4.29 trillion budget.

MPs stayed away as Mbadi took to the stand at around 3pm.

The move echoed a similar protest during the 2023/24 budget reading, when former Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u faced a similar exodus.

Despite the thin attendance, Mbadi powered through the statement, reading the budget in two hours.

His address emphasised economic recovery, land reforms, education funding, and inflation control.

The poor showing in Parliament points to the growing political tensions over the government's fiscal direction and rising discontent from the opposition, over what they term a budget detached from the realities facing ordinary Kenyans.

*Moment of silence*

Mbadi, regretting the loss of lives and destruction of property during last year’s Finance Bill protest, requested the House to observe a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims.

‘’Last year, Mr Speaker, some provisions in the Finance Bill 2024 triggered protests across the country. In remembrance of our fellow Kenyans, let us observe a minute of silence,” he said.

Mbadi also introduced a new proposal for allocation of Sh254 million to the prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), with Sh940m for sanitary towels allocation to school-going children and Sh110 million to address and eradicate FGM in the country.