Kenyan Govt Cuts Travel Allowances For Civil Servants By Half, Bans Non-Essential Tea And Lunch

• A report by the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o revealed government officials spent a whopping KSh 4.3 billion on travel in three months
• The Kenya Kwanza Alliance government capped transport allowance at KSh 5,000 from KSh 10,000 while approvals for training were suspended
• President William Ruto said the government will only approve foreign trips that will be beneficial to the taxpayers

TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto brings over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

The National Treasury has announced new strict austerity measures targeting ministries, departments, and agencies to cut costs.

The exchequer cut travel allowances by half, limiting the category of officials allowed to travel domestically by plane.

Transport allowance was capped at KSh 5,000 from KSh 10,000 while approvals for training were suspended. It also banned non-essential tea, lunch and water for civil servants, slashing imprest for use by half.

Treasury Principal Secretary (PS) Chris Kiptoo announced the new measures following a budget implementation committee meeting.

"The budget implementation committee has analysed the situation and has agreed on the need for the National Treasury to effect measures that will support budget and expenditure management," Kiptoo said, as reported by Daily Nation.

How much did public officers spend on travel?

A report by the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o revealed government officials spent a whopping KSh 4.3 billion on travel in three months.

Nyakang'o's report showed that luxury foreign travel also increased by almost a third in the first three months of the 2023–24 financial year, from July to September.

This was fuelled by a frenzy of luxury travel, fuel guzzlers, and unused idle billions. The wastage came even as Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u claimed that the government was broke.

“KSh 4.3 billion was spent on domestic and foreign travel, while KSh 1.04 billion was spent on hospitality,” the report stated.

What was William Ruto's travel order?

President William Ruto ordered the three arms of government, the legislature, judiciary and executive, to slash their travel expenses by 50%.

The head of state said the government will only approve foreign trips that will be beneficial to the Kenyan taxpayers.

"We have cut the travel budget for unnecessary foreign trips by KSh 11 billion, not KSh 500 million as reported," he said in Taita Taveta.