The Presidency, which comprises the offices of the President and the Deputy President, reduced spending in the period to Sh99.4 million from the Sh322.7 million spent a year prior.
The drop in foreign travel bills is however linked to the campaign period when the Presidency focused more on domestic travel to woo voters.
President Kenyatta’s frequent foreign trips in the two years of his first term in office had attracted debate, with critics saying it ran the risk of setting the tone for other public officials to waste public funds on foreign travels.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto cut their foreign travel expenditure by 69 per cent or Sh223.3 million in the year to June as pressure piles on top government officials to control discretionary costs.
Data from the Controller of Budget (CoB) shows the Presidency, which comprises the offices of the President and the Deputy President, reduced spending in the period to Sh99.4 million from the Sh322.7 million spent a year prior.
The drop in foreign travel bills is however linked to the campaign period when the Presidency focused more on domestic travel to woo voters.
Kenya had a prolonged and volatile election that started ahead of the August 8 General Election and continued to the end of November following repeat presidential polls in October as ordered by the Supreme Court.
During that period, the government closely monitored foreign trips, with top officials being required to get clearance from the Head of Public Service before travelling out of the country. According to the CoB data, the foreign affairs ministry slashed its foreign travel spending by half to Sh800 million from the Sh1.6 splashed a year prior.
The Parliamentary Service Commission cut spending on foreign trips by 27 per cent to Sh596 million while the National Assembly halved its spending to Sh717 million from Sh1.4 billion spent the previous year.
Expenditure on foreign travel for the 64 State ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) dropped 40 per cent to Sh3.6 billion compared to the Sh6 billion spent a year earlier, a sign that the government’s austerity efforts are beginning to bear fruit.
Mr Kenyatta’s frequent foreign trips in the two years of his first term in office had attracted debate, with critics saying it ran the risk of setting the tone for other public officials to waste public funds on foreign travels.
During his travels, the President is usually accompanied by large delegations, including his security detail and senior government officials who draw hefty sums in travelling allowances.
State House has in the past been forced to defend Mr Kenyatta’s frequent trips abroad, arguing that most of them have the potential to attract mega investments.
The 69 per cent drop in foreign travel budget is the first cut since Mr Kenyatta took office in April, 2013 when the Presidency splashed Sh187.9 million in trips outside the country.
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