Members of Parliament have raised fresh concerns over billions of shillings spent on State Visits linked to President William Ruto’s foreign travel and diplomatic engagements.
The issue emerged during a sitting of the National Assembly Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee as lawmakers reviewed the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs’ budget estimates for the 2026/2027 financial year.
MPs questioned why the State Department for Foreign Affairs was carrying the financial burden of State Visits despite the activities originating from State House.
According to officials who appeared before the committee, the State Department for Foreign Affairs has already spent Ksh2.2 billion on State Visits against an approved allocation of Ksh1.8 billion in the current financial year.
The officials further disclosed that the ministry had received instructions to facilitate 11 additional outbound State Visits before June 2026 at an estimated cost of Ksh3.1 billion.
The projected expenditure now pushes the total spending linked to State Visits to Ksh5.3 billion.
During the session, Lagdera MP Abdikadir Mohamed questioned why some of the expenses were not being directly catered for under the State House budget.
Lawmakers argued that continued spending beyond approved allocations was placing pressure on other government programmes under the Foreign Affairs docket.
Senior Chief Finance Officer James Aloyo defended the ministry, explaining that the State Department for Foreign Affairs only acts on instructions issued by State House regarding planned presidential and diplomatic travel.
According to Aloyo, the ministry is responsible for accommodation, transport, meals, and movement logistics whenever State Visits are planned.
He admitted that once the allocated funds are exhausted, the ministry is forced to divert money from other programmes, resulting in pending bills at the end of the financial year.
“We receive notices from State House on planned visits. Ours is to facilitate accommodation, movement and meals,” Aloyo told the committee.
The revelations have now intensified debate around government expenditure and the cost of international travel at a time when Kenyans continue facing economic pressure and rising living costs.
The spending concerns also come shortly after the government hosted the Africa Forward Summit, an event that brought together several heads of state and government officials.
Some MPs called for greater accountability and clearer budget structures to avoid overreliance on supplementary funding and diversion of money from other programmes.
The committee is expected to continue reviewing the expenditure as scrutiny over government spending increases ahead of the next financial year.
