Govt spent Ksh 4 billion on travel in six months Report

Govt spent Ksh 4 billion on travel in six months  Report

The latest report by the Controller of Budget has pointed at a growing expenditure on foreign and domestic travel by President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and officials of different government agencies.

The report, covering the period between July to December 2015, shows that the government spent Ksh 2.5 billion on domestic travel and Ksh 1.5 billion on foreign travel bringing the total to Ksh 4 billion.

The report also shows that the government spent Ksh 123.7 billion on personal enrolments translating to 46.3 per cent of the total expenditure for the period under review, indicating an increase from Ksh 123.1 billion recorded in the first half of the Financial Year 2014/15.

National Assembly had the highest expenditure on domestic travel at Ksh 865 million while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade reported the highest foreign travel expenditure of Ksh 732.5 million.

The presidency used Ksh 208.1 million on domestic travel and Ksh 111.2 million on foreign travel covering President Kenyatta and DP Ruto bringing the total Ksh 319.3 million.

The Presidency also spent Ksh 617 million on hospitality out of a total Ksh 1.7 billion spent across state departments and government agencies.

President Kenyatta and Ruto have been under constant criticism from the opposition over frequent travels and the burgeoned delegation that accompanies them during the trips.

Last year, President Kenyatta came under sharp criticism over frequent number of foreign trips undertaken since he came to office in March 2013.

CORD leader Raila Odinga is among the leaders who have hit out at the President saying: “There was need for the government to cut down on the number of trips in order to save the taxpayer from unnecessary financial burden”.

“Some people accompany the President to meetings abroad only to go shopping immediately after arrival,” said Raila in a past press briefing.

“Tanzania’s President John Magufuli has banned foreign travels in Tanzania and cut the number of delegates to four. It is time we did the same in Kenya.”

Reports indicate that by December 2015, President Kenyatta had made 43 trips in the three years he has been in power. His predecessor Mwai Kibaki made only 13 trips in the 10 years he was President.

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Uhuru kenyatta william ruto Deputy President William Ruto

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