In the last eight years, government officials in Kenya have increasingly spent money without approval from the legislative arm. In the period under review, the monies government ministries in the country have spent without the approval of MPs has gone up significantly. This is due to the ability of agencies to find new ways to circumvent scrutiny on suspect expenditures.

According to a new audit report by Auditor-General Nancy Gatungu as reported by the Kenyan news publication, BusinessDaily, “government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) spent Sh147.39 billion in the financial year 2022/23 without authorization by Parliament.”

More specifically, there has been a 134 times increase in unauthorized ministry spending over the past eight years. The amount mentioned above represents more than the mere Sh1.1 billion that was spent in 2015, without following the standard budget-making procedure.

The BusinessDaily report notes that In Kenya, without the authorization of Members of Parliament, governing bodies may take funds from the Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) to the extent of 10% of the authorized budget for that fiscal year, as stated in Article 223 of the Constitution.

Source: BI