Friday, 28 February, 2025
National Assembly’s Committee engages Tourism and Wildlife Ministry on Budget Policy Statement 2025𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.
The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife, chaired by Hon. Kareke Mbiuki (Maara Constituency), held a session today with Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano to deliberate on the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) 2025. CS Miano was accompanied by Principal Secretaries John Ololtuaa (Tourism) and Silvia Museiya (Wildlife).
Tourism Principal Secretary Mr. John Ololtuaa informed the Committee that the total approved budget for the Financial Year 2024/2025 stood at Kshs. 10.315 billion, comprising Kshs. 9.846 billion for recurrent expenditure and Kshs. 470 million for development.
For the first half of the financial year, the budget allocation was Kshs. 5.158 billion, with Kshs. 4.923 billion in recurrent and Kshs. 235 million in development. The total expenditure for this period amounted to Kshs. 4.294 billion, translating to an absorption rate of 43.47% for recurrent funds and 2.91% for development funds.
The sub-sector’s total budget requirement for the Financial Year 2025/2026 was estimated at Kshs. 21.345 billion, but the BPS 2025 allocation provided Kshs. 17.916 billion, with Kshs. 15.933 billion earmarked for recurrent expenditure and Kshs. 1.984 billion for development.
Committee members Hon. John Wanjiku (Vice-Chairperson) and Hon. Innocent Mugabe (Lukuyani Constituency) raised concerns over the mergers of key research institutions within the Ministry, questioning their potential impact on service delivery and efficiency.
In response, CS Miano assured the Committee that the reforms were intended to streamline operations, enhance financial efficiency, and reduce dependence on the exchequer.
“The Ministry is fully committed to implementing the approved state corporation reforms as directed by the Cabinet. We have set up a dedicated technical committee to analyze the functions of affected agencies, ensure seamless implementation, and recommend necessary amendments to support the reform agenda,” said CS Miano.
Wildlife Principal Secretary
On her part, Ms. Silvia Museiya presented the budgetary allocation for the Wildlife sub-sector for FY 2025/2026, amounting to Kshs. 14.381 billion—Kshs. 12.083 billion for recurrent expenditure and Kshs. 2.298 billion for development.
Hon. (Dr.) Edwin Mugo (Mathioya Constituency) urged the Ministry to identify and prioritize flagship projects to ensure impactful development.
“The Ministry should focus on key projects that will drive significant transformation in the sector. Spreading resources too thinly across multiple initiatives may not yield the desired outcomes,” emphasized Dr. Mugo.