By Our Political Affairs Reporter
The Office of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is seeking an additional Sh625.4 million in the supplementary budget to cover travel expenses and refurbishment of official residences, even as the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services requests a staggering Sh20 billion to support critical citizen registration services.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security, officials from both departments justified the fresh financial demands, citing increased workloads, structural reorganisations, and the need to enhance service delivery.
Of the Deputy President’s request, Sh100 million is earmarked for refurbishing Harambee House Annex and the Karen Residence, while Sh525.4 million is sought under the recurrent expenditure vote to cater for a range of operational needs.
Documents presented by Principal Administrative Secretary Moses Mbaruku indicate that the office is facing funding gaps, particularly in areas such as hospitality and domestic travel, which are said to be crucial for fulfilling its role in coordinating Cabinet sub-committees and implementing the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Mbaruku told MPs that the ongoing reorganisation of the office has led to increased personnel demands, including training, induction, and equipment provisioning for new staff.
Currently, the Deputy President’s Office has been allocated Sh2.9 billion, comprising Sh2.8 billion for recurrent expenditure and Sh100 million for development. This is a reduction from the Sh3.4 billion proposed in the Budget Policy Statement.
The breakdown of the additional Sh525.4 million is as follows:
- Sh114.9 million for domestic travel
- Sh86.3 million for foreign travel
- Sh170.8 million for hospitality
- Sh40.7 million for fuel
- Sh18.6 million for vehicle maintenance
- Sh17 million for routine maintenance
- Sh22.2 million for office supplies
- Sh15.5 million for printing and advertising
- Sh10 million for communication
- Sh5.2 million for training
- Sh4.6 million for specialised materials
- Sh18 million for employee compensation
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang of the Immigration and Citizen Services Department requested an additional Sh20 billion to meet increased demand for identity documents and to roll out the Maisha Namba programme nationwide.
The department cited a sharp increase in ID registration following President William Ruto’s directive that all Kenyans aged 18 and above be issued identity cards free of charge. The directive reversed a 2024 gazetted fee hike and also scrapped a 60-year-old vetting requirement for Northern Kenya residents, a relic of the Shifta insurgency of the 1960s.
“This discriminatory process has gone on for too long. I have declared it abolished. We must treat all Kenyans equally,” said the President in a recent address.
Kipsang outlined the department’s funding needs as follows:
- Sh2.4 billion for ID card materials
- Sh500 million for live capture units and mobile registration kits
- Sh990 million to enhance the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) systems
- Sh689 million for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system
- Sh463 million for specialised equipment and ID production forms
- Sh300 million for mobile outreach registration
- Sh200 million for the repatriation of illegal immigrants and payment of airline bills
Demand for these services has surged due to the government’s aggressive campaign encouraging citizens to register for national identity documents.
The requests come amid growing public scrutiny over government spending, particularly on high-level travel and hospitality, at a time when many Kenyans are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis. Nonetheless, both departments maintain that the additional allocations are critical for effective service delivery and the fulfilment of their constitutional mandates.
