Treasury CS John Mbadi speaks while launching the FY 2027-28 and Medium-Term Budget Preparation Process at KICC, July 22, 2026. /TREASURY
Kenya's budget-making process for the 2027-28 financial year has officially begun, with the National Treasury unveiling a tight timetable that aims to complete all key budget and legal requirements months before the country heads to the General Election in August 2027.
The process was launched on Wednesday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, marking the start of the government's annual budget preparation cycle.
The National Treasury called on members of the public to take part in the exercise, saying public participation remains a constitutional requirement in government financial planning.
"The event is open to the public to promote transparency and inclusiveness in budget formulation," the Treasury said in a notice issued ahead of the launch.
The process would be guided by strict timelines to ensure the budget is finalised well before Kenyans vote in the August 10, 2027 General Election.
Under the budget calendar, the first major milestone will be the publication of the Draft Budget Review and Outlook Paper by August 15, followed by Cabinet approval by August 30.
Attention will then shift to sector working group forums, which are scheduled to run from September 7 to October 2.
The forums will bring together ministries, departments, agencies and other stakeholders to review and prioritise spending proposals across different sectors of the economy.
Government ministries are expected to finalise their sector budget proposals by October 23.
The Treasury is then expected to prepare the Draft Budget Policy Statement alongside the Division of Revenue Bill, 2027 and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill.
These documents are due before Cabinet by November 13 and must be submitted to Parliament by November 30.
The Treasury will also issue the final guidelines for the 2027-28 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework Budget by December 15, with line ministries required to submit their detailed budget proposals by December 30.
The next phase begins in January 2027.
The Treasury is expected to present the consolidated budget proposals to Cabinet for approval by January 26 before transmitting them, together with the Finance Bill, 2027, to Parliament by January 29.
Parliament is scheduled to begin reviewing the draft budget estimates by February 19, ushering in one of the busiest stages of the budget process.
By March 5, the relevant parliamentary committee is expected to table its report on the draft budget estimates before the Treasury consolidates the final estimates and submits the Appropriation Bill to Parliament by March 8.
The Treasury is also required to publish the Budget Statement by March 18, while the National Assembly is expected to pass both the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill by March 31.
The final stages of the process focus on the transition to the election period.
The Treasury is expected to prepare the pre-election report by April 30 and submit the final report to Parliament by May 10.
Completion of the process by those deadlines would leave the government with several months before Kenyans head to the polls on August 10, 2027 to elect a new President, Members of Parliament, governors, senators, Members of County Assembly and county woman representatives.
