Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has raised serious concerns over Sh8 billion allocated to the government’s Hustler Fund in the financial year ending June 2023, declaring it unaccounted for—despite the amount having been disbursed by the National Treasury to the State Department for Cooperatives Development. In her audit report for that financial year, Gathungu revealed the State Department spent Sh14 billion against an approved budget of Sh12.26 billion, resulting in an under-absorption of Sh8.2 billion—representing 36 percent of the total allocation. This discrepancy centres on the Hustler Fund. Appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Butere MP…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has faced a significant setback in its push for expanded powers to access personal data without judicial oversight, as the National Assembly rejected a controversial proposal in the Finance Bill 2025. On 17 June 2025, the Parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee, responding to public outcry and memoranda from stakeholders, voted to strike down the clause. The decision echoed a similar rejection in the Finance Bill 2024, where a comparable proposal was defeated following concerns about unchecked surveillance and potential abuse of power. The decision, hailed as a victory for privacy rights, followed intense public and…
Sustained pressure from youth-led protests has compelled the Kenyan government to slash operations and maintenance (O&M) expenditures across public offices by Sh51.95 billion in the first nine months of the current financial year ending March 2025. National Treasury data reveals that O&M costs—covering office supplies, transport, fuel, travel, and repairs—plummeted to Sh751.35 billion, down sharply from Sh969.39 billion during the same period last year. This significant Sh218.04 billion reduction represents the most substantial cut in non-essential spending since the austerity measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago. The drastic cuts are directly attributed to the so-called “Gen Z-induced…
Thousands of patients across five counties are stranded, unable to access essential healthcare services such as dialysis and maternity care, after 1,029 facilities were abruptly locked out of the national Social Health Authority (SHA) system without prior notice. The digital suspension, affecting facilities in Nyamira, Kisii, Mandera, Wajir, and Nairobi counties, means patients arriving at physically open clinics and hospitals are finding their SHA claims cannot be processed. Directors of affected facilities, such as Giftland Medical Centre in Nyamira, report encountering queues of confused patients. “My facility was inspected by KMPDC two weeks ago… Three days later, the SHA portal…
Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP), Africa’s largest wind farm, has unveiled a significant environmental and social impact in its 2024 Sustainability Report. Titled “Beyond Turbines: Impacting Kenya, Empowering People,” the report details a landmark reduction of 574,547 tonnes of CO2 emissions and a cumulative investment of Sh 875 million in local communities over the past six years. Situated in the remote Loiyangalani District, Marsabit County, the 365-turbine project cemented its role as a cornerstone of Kenya’s energy supply. In 2024 alone, LTWP delivered 1,367 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean electricity to the national grid, constituting 10.89 percent of Kenya’s total grid…
An increasing number of young people are turning into night owls, whether that be due to anxiety, phone addiction, having too little “me time” during the day or binge-watching the latest TV show. According to the 2025 AI Era Healthy Sleep White Paper by iResearch Consulting Group, 82 percent of individuals born after the year 2000 go to bed after 11 pm, while the figure rises to 85 percent for those born in the 1990s. While there are many reasons that people may stay up late, many do so knowing full well that burning the midnight oil is harmful to…
Once hailed as the next great frontier for Kenyan floriculture, the United States market is now viewed by many industry players as a lost cause, as protectionist tariffs have shut the door on the opportunity. At this year’s International Floriculture Trade Expo, or IFTEX, which concluded on Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya, the air was filled with the usual burst of color and scent. However, beneath the surface, a growing sense of frustration and resignation was emerging among local and international exhibitors who were eyeing the US flower market. Ray Liu, a Chinese exhibitor from Weifang Sainpoly Greenhouse Equipment Company, attended…
Business leaders and economists are raising significant concerns about provisions in Kenya’s proposed Finance Bill 2025, warning that it could severely strain manufacturers, disrupt cash flows, and deter crucial investment across key sectors. Central to their apprehension are several specific tax measures. A major point of contention is the reclassification of certain products from zero-rated to tax-exempt status. While seemingly similar, tax-exempt status removes the ability for manufacturers to claim refunds on Value Added Tax (VAT) paid on inputs used to produce these goods. Tobias Alando, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), stated that this move…
Global urban developers and policymakers have backed the development of charter cities across Africa as a response to the continent’s rapidly expanding population. Convening at the New Cities Summit in Nairobi last week, the experts acknowledged that Africa remains the only continent projected to experience major population growth in this century. According to a 2023 global report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Africa’s population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion between 2030 and 2100. The report shows that by 2050, Africans will make up 25% of the global workforce, and over 40% by 2100. This demographic shift is fueling…
A nationwide health sector unrest is unfolding as Kenya’s 2025/26 budget fails to close the gaping hole left by the exit of a key donor—the United States. With only a Sh2 billion increase to the Ministry of Health’s allocation, bringing it to Sh138 billion, the government now finds itself on shaky ground as it attempts to fulfil its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) promise amid ballooning demands and unpaid bills. The crisis has drawn in medical interns, UHC staff, county health promoters, and health economists such as John Nyangi. Demonstrators from counties like Kwale and Murang’a took to the streets of…