Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has assured Kenyans that the 2025/2026 Budget is firmly grounded in the principles of fiscal responsibility and public interest, with no introduction of new taxes.
Speaking during the official release of the national budget highlights, CS Mbadi stated that the Finance Bill 2025 had been designed with the “ordinary Kenyan” in mind, amid growing public concern over the rising cost of living and taxation.“Kenyans complained about high taxation; therefore, we were very cautious as a government to ensure that we didn’t introduce unreasonable taxes that would again overburden Kenyans,” said Mbadi.
He emphasized that the Finance Bill 2025 is “modest” and historic in that it contains no tax increases at all. “Let nobody cheat you, or lie to you; there is no tax increase,” he reiterated. “What we have done is streamline tax administration and management to make it more efficient and responsive.”
The CS underscored that the government’s new fiscal direction prioritizes eliminating wastage in public spending, sealing revenue leakages, and channeling funds to high-impact and essential sectors.“We are trying to manage the budget. If you allocate too much, it will be wasted,” he said.
He urged the public to support ongoing reforms aimed at sealing loopholes and enhancing accountability in government operations.
Addressing criticism over reduced allocations in some government sectors, Mbadi defended the Treasury’s decision to cut budgets in areas with a history of mismanagement. “Please do not allow those who have benefited from the misuse of public resources to attack the government for reducing their budget,” he stated.
He further challenged Kenyans to remain consistent in their calls for integrity in public finance management. “The problem with Kenyans is that sometimes we make noise about putting too much money into something because people are stealing that money.
However, when we start reducing the budget to a reasonable amount, putting roadblocks to theft of public funds, we again start to make noise,” he noted.
The 2025/2026 Budget reflects the government’s broader agenda of fiscal discipline, efficient service delivery, and safeguarding public funds through accountability reforms.
