The Kenya Christian Professionals Forum (KCPF) has raised serious concerns over constitutional and legal violations in the 2025/2026 national budget-making process, calling for urgent reforms to restore transparency, accountability, and legality.
Speaking during a media briefing under its Governance Accountability Program (GAP), KCPF accused the government of inflating revenue projections, unlawful borrowing, and sidelining public participation — all in breach of the Constitution and the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act.“The Constitution is not a suggestion; it is the supreme law,” said Bernard Muchere, a Certified Fraud Examiner and former Internal Auditor at the National Treasury. “Budget-making must return to a lawful, participatory, and transparent path.”
KCPF took issue with the use of the Finance Bill as the primary platform for public engagement, arguing that this undermines Articles 220 and 221 of the Constitution. The Forum emphasized that public participation should begin with the publication and discussion of revenue and expenditure estimates — not with the Finance Bill.
KCPF Chairman Charles Kanjama criticized Parliament’s focus on revenue-raising measures while neglecting scrutiny of government expenditure, warning that this imbalance opens the door to corruption and fiscal mismanagement.
The Forum also condemned the government’s borrowing practices, claiming that funds are being borrowed without parliamentary approval and used to cover recurrent expenditures — a direct violation of the Constitution and Section 15(2)(c) of the PFM Act.“Borrowing done outside the confines of the Constitution is not sovereign debt,” said KCPF. “Such debt should not be passed on to future generations.”
KCPF further warned that inflated revenue estimates create space for slush funds, later captured through corruption-laden supplementary budgets. The Forum urged oversight agencies, particularly the Auditor General and Controller of Budget, to intensify scrutiny over fiscal practices.
To restore public trust, KCPF is calling for a national debt audit and a halt to the Finance Bill process until the Treasury publishes constitutionally required revenue and expenditure estimates.
With the June 12 budget deadline approaching, KCPF has pledged to ramp up civic education efforts and mobilize citizens to demand a lawful and transparent budget process.
