Revealed: State House spent Sh5.6b on salaries, travels and hospitality in nine months

President William Ruto with is Deputy Kithure Kindiki address residents after the launch of the Sogoo-Melelo-Ololung’a Road on the second day of his tour of Narok County, May 7, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

State House spent a whopping Sh5.6 billion in the first nine months of the 2024/2025 financial year, a report has revealed.

The audit report released by Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakango indicates that while President William Ruto’s Executive Office used Sh3 billion, the office of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki spent Sh2.2 billion in the same period.

The biggest spenders include the Ministry of Education, which used Sh162 billion, the Ministry of Interior used Sh59.3 billion, the Ministry of Health used Sh52.5 billion, and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) used Sh44 billion.

Nyakango, in the report released on Tuesday, said State House spent some Sh2.2 billion on salaries, Sh1 billion on domestic travel, Sh697.5 million on hospitality, Sh300.4 million on fuel and lubricants and Sh353 million on other expenses.

According to the report, State House used Sh146.5 million on foreign travel, Sh277.19 million on routine maintenance of motor vehicles, Sh109.4 million for insurance costs and Sh71 million on Communication, supplies and Services.

“State House used Sh81 million on Utilities, Supplies and Service, Sh91.4 million for Rentals of produced Assets, Sh32 million on specialised materials and supplies and Sh59.4 million on maintenance expenses and other assets,” said Nyakango.

She said that Ruto’s Executive Office spent Sh1.2 billion on salaries, Sh145.3 million on domestic travel, Sh30.38 million on foreign travel and Sh16.9 million on utilities, supplies and services.

According to the Controller of Budget, the executive office further used Sh899.8 million on what was listed as other expenses, Sh222.37 million on rentals of produced assets, while Sh16 million went to communication, supplies and Services.

READ: Revealed: How Ruto administration has spent your money so far

 Nyakango said Sh165.24 million was spent on hospitality, Sh136.35 million on specialised materials and supplies, Sh42.88 million on car fueling and lubrication, Sh15.3 million on grants and other transfers and Sh12.89 million on social security benefits

“The Executive Office of the President used Sh39.85 million on office and general supplies and services, while Sh8.54 million went to printing and advertising and Sh26.7 million on acquisition of non-financial assets,” said Nyakango.

According to the report, Kithure Kindiki’s office spent Sh2.2 billion in the same period, out of which Sh717.4 million was spent on salaries, Sh196.2 million on domestic travel, and Sh22.9 million on utilities, supplies and services.

She said, while Kindiki’s office used Sh346.7 million in what was listed as other expenses, some Sh115.08 million was used on rentals of produced assets and Sh23.9 million on communication, supplies and Services.

Nyakango said that Sh295.09 million was used on hospitality, Sh8.9 million on specialised materials and supplies, Sh105.62 million on car fueling and lubrication and Sh1.1 million on social security benefits in the office of the Deputy President.

“The of Deputy President used Sh69.9 million on office and general supplies and services, Sh22.43 million on foreign travel, Sh43.68 million on printing and advertising, and Sh86 million on acquisition of non-financial assets,” said Nyakango.

According to the report, in the Ministry of Education, the State Department for Basic Education used Sh86.9 billion, the State Department for Higher Education and Research used Sh59.1 billion, while the State Department for Vocational and Technical Training used Sh16 billion.

In the Ministry of Health, the State Department for Medical Services used Sh36.9 billion while the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards used Sh15.6 billion during the nine months.

The new look of State House Nairobi after renovations. [PCS]

While Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s office spent 465.10 million, the State Department for Parliamentary Affairs under this office used Sh221.8 million, the State Department for Performance Delivery Management used Sh429.5 million and the State Department for Cabinet Affairs used Sh144.3 million.

“The Ministry of Defence used Sh128.4 billion while the National Police Service used Sh88.4 billion and the State Department for the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development used Sh7.9 billion,” read part of Nyakango’s report.

In the Ministry of Interior, the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration used Sh26 billion, the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services used Sh8.3 billion, while the State Department for Correctional Services used Sh25 billion.

The Judiciary spent Sh15.6 billion, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission used Sh3 billion, the State Law Office used Sh3.1 billion, the State Department for Forestry used Sh3.3 billion, and the State Department for Environment & Climate Change spent Sh1.4 billion

While the Teachers Service Commission spent 268.8 billion, the National Assembly spent Sh16.6 billion, the Senate Sh5.1 billion, the Parliamentary Joint Services used Sh4.1 billion, and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Sh2.6 billion.

The Public Service Commission spent Sh2.7 billion, the Judicial Service Commission Sh507.03 million, the Commission on Revenue Allocation Sh308.94 million, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Sh283.56 million and the National Gender and Equality Commission Sh310.22 million. 

The report also revealed that the Office of the Auditor General spent Sh5.7 billion, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Sh705.84 million, the Commission on Administrative Justice Sh430.19 million and the office of the Controller of Budget Sh391.94 million.

At the same time, the auditor general faulted the government for over-relying on the section of the constitution that allows the government to spend and then seek parliament's approval through a supplementary budget.

She warned of reliance on Article 223 of the Constitution to fund the Government’s existing Programmes. "Article 223 of the Constitution stipulates the requirements for a supplementary appropriation."

Paragraph 40 (3) of the Public Finance Management (National Government) Regulations, 2015 outlines the purpose for which approval can be sought for a supplementary budget. These include (a) unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances where no budget provision was made or (b) unavoidable circumstances where there is an existing budgetary provision which, however, is inadequate.

Further, Paragraph 40 (4) (a) of the said Regulations clarifies that expenditure that, although known when finalising the original budget estimates, could not be accommodated within allocations shall not be considered an unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure

The report showed that the Cabinet Secretary of the National Treasury had granted total approvals of Sh.48.89 billion for additional funding to MDAS under Article 223 of the Constitution.

ALSO READ: How State House spent Sh3b in nine months

Scrutiny of the approvals revealed several instances where the reason for additional funding was to support existing government programmes and payment of pending bills, which should have been anticipated during the budget formulation.

State House benefited from additional funding that amounted to Sh1.16 billion under Article 223 of the Constitution to cater for utilities, rent, local visits, hospitality services, fuel expenses and maintenance of motor vehicles.

At the same time the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs accessed Kshs.1.24 billion in a separate instance as additional funding under Article 223, which was loan revenue that the World Bank had already disbursed into a designated project account to cater for the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project (KSEIP), an ongoing project.

The controller of budget was concerned over delayed projects, citing the construction of junior secondary classrooms and integrated resource centres across the country, which were only 21 per cent complete, even though they are supposed to be completed by  June 30 next year 2026. This project was started in July 2021 and was supposed to cater for the learners who are transitioning to a competence-based education system.

Nyakango also cited Mlan-go-Benon-State Lodge-Sach 3 – Riwo Pri – Store – Mto Mbili Road, which began in April last year and was only 10 per cent complete.  Chobe - Kambi George- Weru - Matundura & Muti-ini – Thindi road, which was only 13 per cent complete as projects, had overstretched their planned completion dates.

 Other projects which had fallen behind schedule were the Development of Nairobi Railway City, whose completion date was  30th June 2023, and the construction of a 2.8 km new medium gauge rail MGR link from Mombasa SGR terminus - Miritini SGR station and railway bridge across Makupa causeway ought to have been completed in June last year.

The revitalisation of Gilgil- Gilgil-Nyahururu MGR Branch line and the construction of access road to Suswa SGR Station and to Maai Mahiu SGR Station, which had been scheduled to be completed by mid-last year.