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The government spent Ksh.1.074 billion on domestic travel during the first nine months of the 2024/25 Financial Year, sparking questions about the effectiveness of President William Ruto’s austerity measures.
This is according to the latest National Government Budget Implementation Review Report by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o, which reviewed expenditures from July 2024 to March 2025.
During this period, total government spending reached Ksh.1.2 trillion—equivalent to 70 percent of the revised gross budget estimates. Of that amount, Ksh.11.6 billion was used for domestic travel, while foreign travel cost the exchequer Ksh.5.1 billion.
President Ruto’s office accounted for Ksh.145.36 million in domestic travel expenses and Ksh.30 million for foreign trips. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s office reported even higher domestic travel costs, totaling Ksh.196.22 million, along with Ksh.22 million for foreign travel.
Parliamentary travel also weighed heavily on public funds, with Members of Parliament spending Ksh.3.3 billion on local travel and Ksh.1.014 billion on international trips. Senators, meanwhile, incurred Ksh.902 million in domestic travel and Ksh.438 million abroad.
The report highlights the government’s struggle to rein in recurrent expenditures—despite President Ruto’s public commitment to austerity following the youth-led protests on June 25, 2024. In response to the nationwide demonstrations, the president announced the suspension of non-essential travel for public officials.
However, these latest figures have cast doubt on the government’s commitment to fiscal discipline, with increasing public scrutiny over perceived contradictions between presidential promises and actual spending.
