Kenyans will now have a chance to give their views on the proposed Ksh4.78 trillion budget for the 2026/2027 financial year after Parliament announced public hearings in different parts of the country.
In a notice published on Wednesday, the National Assembly said the Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold the hearings in 16 counties between May 13 and May 15.
The exercise is meant to collect views from wananchi before Parliament discusses and approves the budget for the next financial year starting July 1.
Kenyan have been called upon to submit written memorandums either physically or electronically before May 25 by 5 pm.
The process will be held simultaneously in various counties. These include Kitui, Garissa, Homa Bay, Nyandarua, and Nairobi on May 13, Busia, Siaya, Bungoma, Kirinyaga, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Marsabit, Bomet, and Kajiado on May 14 while the last meetings will be conducted in West Pokot and Meru on May 15.
Among the venues include Kitui Multi-Purpose Hall, Garissa Library, Orero Boys Hall, Ol Joro Orok CDF Hall and Utawala Deputy County Commissioner Office.
The proposed budget which was introduced in the house of assembly on April 30 has subsequently been forwarded to Budget and Appropriations Committee chaired by Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi.
As the budget has been proposed when the government is under pressure from the growing public debt and the increasing cost of operating in the country, the budget targets Ksh2.985 trillion in taxes collected by the Kenya Revenue Authority, a slight rise from Ksh2.784 trillion.
The other move by the Treasury is to raise the amount of money it wants to borrow by Ksh104.1 billion to Ksh1.170 trillion, indicating that the government will continue to depend heavily on loans to fund its expenditure.
According to reports from the National Assembly, Kenya could spend Ksh1.2 trillion only on debt service payments in the coming financial year. This is because many people have expressed worry that very little funds will be left for developmental initiatives.
Despite all the above-mentioned worries, sectors such as education, security and health will continue to get the lion’s share of the government budget.
The National Assembly is now calling on Kenyans to attend the public hearings to contribute to the budget process.
