The Controller of Budget has raised alarms over excessive and wasteful spending by county governments on travel, amounting to Ksh.17 billion. This includes Ksh.15.28 billion spent on domestic travel and Ksh.2.32 billion on foreign trips.
Counties such as Turkana, Nairobi City, and Machakos recorded the highest travel expenses for governors and MCAs. Popular destinations included Dubai, Canada, and China, despite a government directive freezing non-essential travel during the 2023-2024 financial year.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o expressed concerns about the disregard for the travel freeze, questioning the necessity of these trips.
“If we look at individual counties, domestic travel is the highest spending item… we are not convinced that this level of travel is necessary,” she stated. Nyakang’o also pointed out the large number of officials travelling, noting, “Too many people are attending these trips.
In some cases, the entire office or assembly travels just to collect daily subsistence allowances (DSA).”
Turkana County, led by Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai, was among the highest spenders, with Ksh.943.44 million spent on travel, including Ksh.694.46 million by the county executive. Foreign travel accounted for Ksh.25.67 million, including a trip where 10 executives spent Ksh.2.9 million to attend a case hearing in Uganda for 32 convicted pastoralists on August 20, 2023.
Nairobi County, under Governor Johnson Sakaja, spent Ksh.861.57 million on travel, with Ksh.328.33 million allocated to foreign travel. A notable example was a 19-member delegation that travelled to Marrakesh, Morocco, in June 2024 for a proactive management program, costing the taxpayer Ksh.37.23 million. Other favoured destinations for Nairobi’s leadership included the UAE, Canada, Italy, New York, and Istanbul.
Machakos County, under Governor Wavinya Ndeti, spent Ksh.801.44 million on travel, while Nakuru, led by Governor Susan Kihika, and West Pokot under Simon Kachapin, spent Ksh.647.02 million and Ksh.601.76 million, respectively.
Other counties with notable travel expenditures included Kitui (Ksh.515.76 million), Narok (Ksh.510.08 million), Kwale (Ksh.499.95 million), Meru (Ksh.480.67 million), Kisumu (Ksh.472.54 million), Wajir (Ksh.417.19 million), and Tana River (Ksh.488.51 million).
