DP Kindiki's Office Seeks Extra KSh 450M for Choppers and Hospitality Amid Austerity Calls

 

As ordinary Kenyans struggle with the rising cost of living, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki's office is seeking an additional KSh 450 million from Parliament KSh 100 million to hire helicopters and KSh 350 million for hospitality and events.

The request is part of a larger KSh 1.9 billion supplementary budget the office has tabled before the National Assembly, and if approved, the total allocation to the DP's office for the current financial year will hit KSh 4.9 billion — a 64% jump compared to the KSh 2.97 billion approved in June 2025.

The Breakdown

The office had already been allocated KSh 523 million for hospitality but is now seeking an extra KSh 350 million, pushing the total hospitality budget to KSh 873 million before the financial year ends in June. An additional KSh 100 million is being sought for helicopter leasing.

Officials from the DP's office told MPs that part of the additional request was driven by pending bills that accumulated from the previous financial year. "We closed the financial year with KSh 472 million as pending bills, which formed the first charge on our budget," said Principal Administrative Secretary Moses Mbaruku.

MPs Push Back

Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu criticised the hospitality allocations, saying they contradict President William Ruto's calls for austerity at a time the government is struggling to raise revenue.

Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma also questioned new staff additions, asking: "Who are these new employees? What is their number, and what are they being paid?"

And There's More

The spending controversy doesn't end there. The Controller of Budget has flagged the Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President for spending KSh 44.52 million in the first half of the financial year  despite having zero budget allocation from the National Assembly. President Ruto had previously directed that the office be scrapped as part of austerity measures.

Public Anger Grows

Political commentator Willis Evans Otieno captured the public mood on X, writing that the requests amount to "fiscal arrogance" at a time when Kenyans are being lectured about austerity while the government struggles to finance its operations.

As of publication, the National Assembly's Administration and Internal Security Committee had yet to approve or reject the supplementary request.