Moses Kuria Puts State Officers On Notice Over Obsession With Foreign Trips

• Moses Kuria admitted that there is a need to cut public spending on foreign travel and unnecessary workshops in public service
• The Public Service Cabinet Secretary said President William Ruto's administration has already started implementing the austerity measures
• Only five Cabinet secretaries are attending COP28 in the company of President William Ruto in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Nairobi - Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has vowed to ensure the country spends less on foreign travel.

In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, Kuria admitted that there is a need to cut public spending on foreign travel and unnecessary workshops in public service.

He said President William Ruto's administration has already implemented the austerity measures.

“Unlike COP 27 in Sharm Al Sheikh Egypt where more than half the Cabinet secretaries travelled with the president, only five CSs are attending COP28 in the company of the head of state in Dubai," Kuria said.

Who are the CSs accompanying William Ruto to COP28

They include Kuria, Musalia Mudavadi (Foreign Affairs), Njuguna Ndung'u (National Treasury), Soipan Tuya (Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry), and Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum).

Kuria said that the government will not incur expenses on benchmarking trips that have been done before and have reports yet to be implemented.

Ruto plans to save an estimated KSh 130.2 billion from the planned cuts to recurrent spending by ministries, departments, and state agencies (MDAs).

The Cabinet has already approved policies on spending as part of measures to anchor planned fiscal consolidation.

If implemented as planned, the cuts will bring down total recurrent spending by MDAs from KSh1.302 trillion.

Which are the biggest spending departments in gov't

Units with the heaviest recurrent allocations will see the biggest cuts in day-to-day spending, including the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Ministry of Defence, the State Department for Basic Education, the National Police Service (NPS), and the State Department for Higher Education and Research.

The National Treasury had previously indicated plans to increase borrowing to cover a wider fiscal deficit, with total financing estimated at KSh 864 billion from KSh 718.9 billion.

President Ruto’s administration has committed to fiscal consolidation via a combination of expenditure rationalisation and improved domestic revenue mobilisation.

The National Treasury has estimated that it will cut the fiscal deficit to 5.4% of GDP by June next year, up from 5.6% previously.

Already, President Ruto has embraced recommendations from the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), tabled by the ruling Kenya Kwanza and opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, with some touching on national spending.

“You’ve heard that those in charge of the dialogue are done with that work, and we applaud them for finishing that task, now let us join hands and take Kenya forward,” Ruto stated.

Addressing congregants at the Priesthood Fellowship in Kahawa West, Roysambu Constituency, on Sunday, November 26, President Ruto advocated for not just a 30% but a 50% reduction in government spending, urging leaders to live within their means for Kenya's progress.

Why African professionals are pushing for more climate funding

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that African leaders, scientists, and professionals wrote an open letter calling on high-income nations attending COP28 to commit to increasing their financial support for Africa's livestock system adaptation to support the continent's fastest-growing population.

More than 50 organisations and people have signed the document, which was made public ahead of the COP28 climate summit.

It refers to livestock as a “climate solution with legs” for the 800 million smallholder farmers and herders that it supports throughout sub-Saharan Africa.