As Kenyans countrywide submit their input in the budget estimates for the fiscal year 2025-2026, the chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly, Alego Usonga MP Samwel Atandi has assured the public that the government has put in place measures to cut unnecessary expenditure to reduce fiscal debt.

Speaking in an interview during the public hearings on the FY 2025-26 Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditure in Eldoret town, in Uasin Gishu County, the budget committee chair revealed that budget presented before them by the executive totals to about Ksh4.2 trillion ($32.4 billion). The national government is going to spend Ksh2.5 trillion ($19.31 billion) as county governments spend Ksh405 billion ($3.12 million) and Ksh1 trillion ($7.72 billion) will service foreign debts while Ksh300 billion will be spent on pensions and constitutional commissions.

He noted that the budget is going to be supported by revenue projections from ordinary revenue, which is going to be collected from Kenyans but more fundamentally they are also going to borrow a little.

Atandi explained that one of the things the committee has done in this year’s budget is to cut our borrowing limits, noting that in the last financial year 2024/2025, the fiscal deficit was 5.2 per cent of GDP but this year they have lowered it substantially to 4.5 per cent only.

“We have tried our best to ensure that we live within our means by trying to cut all the unnecessary expenditure, we are not seeking to raise more taxes from Kenyans,” Atandi noted.

The budget and appropriations committee chair pointed out that the country is going to borrow about Ksh800 billion whose larger percentage is going to come from local domestic borrowing noting that they are expecting very little from foreign borrowing.

“When you look at the estimates, we have not factored any fund borrowing from IMF. With the fiscal debt of 4.5 percent, we project that interest rates are not going to go up and therefore the government is going to borrow at affordable interest rates,” he explained.

He urged Kenyans to also participate in governance by paying their taxes and also supporting various projects the government is going to launch. The MP underscored that they have proposed many projects for the region in the estimates ranging from infrastructure, roads, hospitals which are going to be actualized in the budget.

He further noted that members of the public from Uasin Gishu have various issues in their memoranda in respect to the key areas for consideration, as he assured them that the issues raised ranging from infrastructure, electricity, water and agriculture especially diversification from maize to coffee, health and education are going to be considered.

• A Tell Media / KNA report /By Ekuwam Sylvester

Chair of Budget and Appropriations Committee of National Assembly Alego Usonga MP Samwel Atandi, speaking during a public participation exercise on FY 2025/26 Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditure, at County Hall, Eldoret, and Uasin Gishu County.

National Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee Chairperson Samwel Atandi, flanked by Turbo MP Janet Sitienei (left) and Kesses MP Julius Ruto (right) in an interview during public participation exercise on FY 2025/26 Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditure, at County Hall, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.