State allocates Sh464.9bn to National Security in 2025-2026 Budget

Treasury CS John Mbadi reading the 2025- 2026 Budget in Parliament on June 12, 2025 / ENOS TECHE

Treasury CS John Mbadi has allocated Sh464.9 billion towards security in the 2025/2026 Budget.

In the 2024 budget, national security was allocated a total of Sh377.5 billion, which is Sh87.4 billion up compared to the 2025/2026 budget.

The CS allocated Sh125.7 billion to the National Police Service and a further Sh 51.4 billion to the National Intelligence Service.

Mbadi has allocated Sh32.5 billion for Internal Security and National Administration and Sh38.1 billion to Prison Services.

He has proposed an additional allocation of Sh10 billion to cater for the leasing of police motor vehicles and Sh3.6 billion for the police modernisation programme.

To combat crime and enhance the administration of justice, CS Mbadi has proposed the allocation of Sh1.2 billion for the construction and modernisation of National Forensic Facilities

“A stable and secure environment fosters investment, trade and overall economic growth,” Mbadi said.

The theme for this year’s Budget is “Stimulating Sustainable Economic Recovery for Improved Livelihoods, Job Creation, Business and Industrial Prosperity in line with BETA.”

Of the Sh377.5 billion allocated to national security in the 2023/ 2024 Budget, Defence was allocated Sh173 billion, National Police Service Sh110.6 billion, National Intelligence Service Sh46.3 billion and Kenya Prisons Sh32.7 billion.

Further, Sh13.9 billion was allocated for the leasing of police vehicles and Sh918.4 million for developing the National Forensic Laboratory. This was an increase of almost Sh40 billion as compared to the 2023-2024 budget.

The security sector was allocated a total of Sh338.2 billion. The money was shared among the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Police Service (NPS), National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Kenya Prisons Service (KPS).

KDF took the lion's share of Sh144.9 billion, followed by the National Police Service with Sh98.6 billion.

The NIS took Sh44.3 billion, and the Prisons Service scooped Sh31.3 billion.

In other allocations, Sh8.8 billion was used for leasing police vehicles to allow easy movement and another Sh500 million was used to modernise police equipment.

To aid in the administration of Justice, Sh856 million went to equipping the National Forensic Library and another Sh534 million was retained by the KDF for their housing programmes in the first budget under President William Ruto.