A Controller of Budget report indicates the Presidency and
the Foreign Affairs ministry spent Sh1.12 billion on air travel in a six-month
period (see P6).
The half-year report covers July to December 2016, the
period of Foreign CS Amina Mohamed’s pan-African campaign to become head of the
AU Commission, a race she ultimately lost.
Spearheaded by the Presidency, the campaign accounted for much
of this frequent-flyer expenditure, including the hire of private jets.
The Presidency spent Sh360 million on hospitality and Sh105
million in motor vehicle maintenance over the same period.
This flies in the face of all that official talk on
austerity measures. This is excessive for a small economy like ours in which
some key projects are not completed for shortage of funds.
A major effort to try and economise will be needed by the
next administration, whether it be a reelected Jubilee or an incoming NASA.
The state would do a good thing to start by cutting down on
hospitality expenditure.
