KANU National Chairman Hon. Gideon Moi has issued a scathing critique of the 2025/26 national budget estimates, accusing the Executive of being tone-deaf to the economic hardships facing ordinary Kenyans.
In a press statement released Thursday in Nairobi, Moi said the budget, presented by the National Treasury, falls short of expectations and continues to prioritize government operations over real development that could uplift the lives of millions of Kenyans.
“We expected the Executive to be more sensitive and responsive to the economic challenges facing Kenyans,” Moi stated.
“Instead, the projected Ksh. 3.1 trillion recurrent expenditure dwarfs the Ksh. 693 billion set aside for development.”
Moi raised alarm over the government’s intention to borrow Ksh. 635.5 billion from local financial institutions to plug budget gaps, warning that such domestic borrowing would crowd out the private sector and further shrink household incomes.
“It is economically unsound for the government to compete with the private sector in borrowing locally. This will stifle access to credit by businesses, leading to a weakened economy,” he said.
The KANU leader noted that taxes account for over 83% of the projected Ksh. 3.3 trillion in total revenue, with tax revenue estimates at Ksh. 2.75 trillion.
He argued that the government could balance the budget without excessive borrowing—if only it exercised proper fiscal discipline.
“We can only sustain a nation through taxation, but we can never tax ourselves into prosperity,” Moi asserted.
In a sharp rebuke of the budget’s priorities, Moi questioned the Ksh. 257 billion allocation to national security, including what he termed the highest-ever allocation to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), while critical sectors like healthcare and agriculture remain underfunded.
“Is the government planning to secure a sickly population or rather, a hungry nation?” he posed.
Moi also criticized the allocation of an extra Ksh. 150 million to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for the acquisition of Optimus 3.0 Social Media spyware, warning that the move could infringe on civil liberties and suppress digital dissent.
“This is part of a wider scheme to invade the privacy of citizens and silence online dissent,” he claimed.
The KANU Chairman expressed concern that counties were only allocated Ksh. 405.1 billion, despite bearing a substantial share of service delivery responsibilities.
He called for a fresh national conversation around the structure and funding of devolution.
Moi also highlighted the growing pile of national and county pending bills, which now total Ksh. 706 billion, saying they are choking cash flow, stalling businesses, and leaving Kenyans with less money in their pockets.
“It’s critical that the government expedites the payment of these bills to open up the economy,” he said.
Concluding his statement, Moi reiterated KANU’s position that Kenya must transition from a consumer-driven to a producer-driven economy.
“It is our position as a party that to address high unemployment rates, our budget must be tailored to move Kenya from a consumer to a producer economy and create wealth for our people through massive industrialization. We can only sustain a nation through taxation, but we can never tax ourselves into prosperity,” he said
