Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o has ordered increased monitoring of public spending amid concerns over increased use of state resources leading up to the 2027 General Election.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Nyakang’o warned that election-related activities, including campaigns and political engagements, could lead to increased unauthorised use of public resources, including government vehicles, fuel and personnel at partisan events.

She cautioned that the heightened expenditure could affect the delivery of services and development projects, particularly at the county level.

“As we move towards the elections, there is expenditure that is difficult to account for. We are also seeing public resources, including government vehicles, fuel and human resources, being used for partisan events. We are likely to record even higher spending than before. In the counties especially, the expected outputs from the budgets are likely to decline. In fact, we may see less achievement as we move closer to the election period,” she noted.

📌 What You Need to Know

Nyakang’o said her teams are already conducting field monitoring and will place greater emphasis on development expenditure as the election approaches.

The Controller of Budget said her office expects to intensify monitoring and evaluation to establish whether public funds are being used for the purposes for which they were requested.

She noted that accounting officers sometimes provide one justification when seeking funds but later undertake different activities, making immediate oversight difficult.

“My office is disadvantaged in that we cannot tell that they have done something else until the end of the quarter, but there are also other mechanisms. Right now, my teams are out doing monitoring and evaluation and we are going to increase that monitoring especially when it comes to development spending. We will redouble our efforts and go to the ground to ensure that they use the money for what they requisitioned it for,” she said.

Public concerns over the sources of funding for political activities have persisted in recent months, with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) warning aspirants in March against using public resources and state offices for campaigns .

Further, Nyakang’o raised concerns about other gaps in expenditure accountability, saying her office has limited visibility over several funds and levies outside the Consolidated Fund, including the National Infrastructure Fund , Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), Primary Health Care Fund (PHCF) and Sovereign Wealth Fund.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke