From Russia, China to USA: How Sakaja's Cabinet gobbled up Ksh.78M in two months

Even as the county struggles to raise additional funds for development projects, County Executive Committee (CEC) members splashed Ksh.78.16 million on trips abroad between September and October 2025, raising questions over fiscal discipline and prioritisation.

The expenditure paints a picture of a government preaching belt-tightening while simultaneously splurging millions on international engagements.

The report details multiple high-cost trips across the globe. Two CEC members travelled to Fujian Province in China from September 8 to 11, spending Ksh.4.34 million. Shortly after, another two attended the BRICS Urban Future Forum in Russia, consuming Ksh.4.14 million over five days.

In the United States, five CEC members spent Ksh.9.34 million attending the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in New York between September 20 and 27. At the same time, a separate delegation of four CEC members attended the same event at a cost of Ksh.8.73 million.

Travel spending escalated further in Switzerland, where six CEC members used Ksh.16.87 million to attend a sustainable finance summit in Geneva from September 28 to October 4. Another eight members attending the same event spent Ksh.19.49 million, while five more participated in a mayoral meeting in Switzerland from October 2 to 8 at a cost of Ksh.15.22 million.

In contrast, the County Executive spent Ksh.60.67 million on domestic travel, nearly matching the Ksh.60.74 million spent by the Nairobi County Assembly on local trips, further compounding concerns over expenditure priorities.

This heavy foreign expenditure comes despite significant fiscal challenges facing the county, as outlined in the same report.

The Controller of Budget flagged a major shortfall in own-source revenue, with the county collecting only Ksh.5.31 billion against an annual target of Ksh.21.18 billion, just 25 per cent of the expected revenue. 

Development spending also lagged behind, with only Ksh.859.4 million spent, translating to a low absorption rate of 6.4 per cent.

At the same time, pending bills ballooned to Ksh.80.04 billion as of December 31, 2025, with the County Treasury failing to adhere to its payment plan. 

The report further raised concerns over accountability risks, including the use of manual payroll to process Ksh.303.23 million, a system flagged as prone to abuse and potential loss of public funds.

Additional governance gaps were also noted, including delays in submitting financial reports, failure to provide proper authorisation for commercial bank accounts, and the absence of a clear human resource plan to reduce the wage bill.

The Controller of Budget urged the county to implement firm austerity measures, improve revenue collection, prioritise development spending, and enhance accountability systems to ensure public funds are used prudently.

However, the revelations are likely to intensify scrutiny over Nairobi County’s financial management, particularly at a time when the county inked a Ksh 80 billion cooperation agreement with the national government to transform the city's status.