Kenya’s Parliament has received a significant boost in funding, with Sh48 billion allocated to the legislative arm of government in the 2025/26 national budget unveiled on Thursday by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.
This marks a steady increase from the Sh44.6 billion allocated in the 2024/25 financial year under then-Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u, and Sh40.4 billion in 2023/24. The funds will be shared between the National Assembly and the Senate, continuing a multi-year trend of rising allocations aimed at enhancing Parliament’s legislative and oversight capacity.
The enhanced funding is expected to empower lawmakers in discharging their core functions, especially as Kenya navigates pressing challenges, including the high cost of living and growing public debt obligations.
Mbadi’s presentation marked his first budget speech as Treasury CS and the third national budget under President William Ruto’s administration. The Sh4.2 trillion budget reflects the government’s intent to solidify the bottom-up economic transformation agenda, even as the economy grapples with limited fiscal space.
The exchequer aims to raise Sh3.3 trillion in revenue:
- Sh2.7 trillion from taxes
- Sh560 billion from government levies and Appropriations-in-Aid
This leaves a Sh900 billion deficit, which will be financed through:
- Sh46.9 billion in grants
- Sh592 billion in domestic borrowing
- Sh284 billion from external lenders
The recurrent expenditure for the new fiscal year stands at Sh3.1 trillion, with Sh725.1 billion earmarked for development and Sh436.7 billion allocated to county governments.
