Parliamentary Debate Emerges Over Ksh.1.7 Billion Presidential Travel Budget Amid Austerity Commitments
Aldai MP Marianne Kitany has defended the huge increase in President William Samoei Ruto’s domestic travel budget saying it’s necessary for the Head of State to engage with Kenyans directly.
Speaking on Tuesday, July 9, 2025 on Citizen TV, MP Kitany said the expanded travel vote enables President Ruto to do grassroots outreach and gather citizen input on national development priorities.
“When we increase his budget, he can travel and listen to people on the ground, then we start complaining that we are using so much money. When a president travels, there is a lot of planning so that they can be able to commit to the people,” Kitany said.
According to records, President Ruto’s local travel expenditure for the first nine months of 2024/2025 financial year—from July 2024 to March 2025—was Ksh.1.7 billion, up from Ksh.750 million in the same period last year.
Kitany said the president’s movement requires proper logistical support and security commensurate to his role as the nation’s unifier and constitutional officeholder. “He can’t travel lean. He has tried. But you have to appreciate that he is the symbol of national unity, so you need to give him the protection required of a president,” she added.
She said the increased allocation should be judged by its outcomes not cost alone. “For me, it’s what work has been done—what he has been able to do. In this case, he is going to listen to what the people are saying and give them the development agenda,” Kitany said.
But Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba was quick to slam the President for misusing public funds in the name of public consultation. Wamuchomba alleged that President Ruto had used too much aerial transport for short distances and questioned the credibility of his engagements with constituents.
“She is very aware that the President comes to lecture us. He came to my constituency in nine helicopters to come and lecture me for saying NO to the Finance Bill,” Wamuchomba said. “Is that what you call listening? Githunguri is a 12-minute drive from the CBD when traffic is clear.”Wamuchomba was referring to an earlier event where President Ruto had traveled to Githunguri in a convoy of nine helicopters after his administration had rejected the Finance Bill 2024 on June 26, 2024. The rejection was accompanied by a public statement by President Ruto that his government would implement austerity measures. But critics say the continued increase in government spending is a contradiction to that promise.
Read Also: Three-year-old boy dies –
The divergence in parliamentary opinion reflects broader concerns regarding fiscal discipline and the prioritization of public resources amid a challenging economic climate. No formal review of the travel budget has been tabled, but scrutiny from civil society and elected officials is expected to intensify in upcoming parliamentary sessions.
Parliamentary Debate Emerges Over Ksh.1.7 Billion Presidential Travel Budget Amid Austerity Commitments
