The National Treasury Building in Nairobi.
Critical services, including the issuance of passports and national identity cards, face disruptions after the cash-strapped National Treasury failed to provide funds to 16 key State departments.
Official records showed that Treasury had not funded the departments by the end of the first quarter in September, throwing their projects into a spin even as the total development budget for the national government was slashed from Sh459 billion to Sh351 billion. The 16 institutions had a combined development budget of Sh9.5 billion for the fiscal year to June 2025.
Among the departments that did not receive any money to implement development programmes during the three months to September was Immigration and Citizen Services, which planned to spend Sh720 million to purchase supplies for ID cards and Sh900 million for the purchase of e-passport books.
This could extend the problem of delays in obtaining critical documentation as witnessed in recent months.
The Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development department was also not funded for its growth projects, risking crucial programmes such as the resilience and sustainable food systems, which is expected to cost Sh176 million, and Sh1.28 billion projects to combat drought in the country.
Treasury had by September also not released any development funds to the Correctional Services, Higher Education, Public Works, Public Service, Culture and Heritage, Trade, and Wildlife. The National Police Service, State Law Office, Parliamentary Joint Services, Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission , Director of Public Prosecutions, National Gender and Equality Commission, and Judiciary Fund also did not receive any development funding in the period.
The Judiciary is expected to spend Sh300 million on automation of services in the current fiscal year, and Sh35.4 million to refurbish the Supreme Court headquarters. The failure to disburse development funds for the Parliamentary Joint Services will affect the planned construction of a multistorey office block for Sh358 million and the installation of a Sh325 million security system.
Public participation projects have also been hindered by the lack of funding from the Treasury, largely affecting the State departments for Public Works and Public Service, which have a combined Sh207 million budget to implement public participation activities during the current fiscal year.
