Ndindi Nyoro Slams Unrealistic Budget Targets in Ruto’s Administration
Kiharu MP challenges the government to prioritize practical targets and reduce recurrent spending.
Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has voiced strong criticism against President William Ruto’s administration for what he termed as “unrealistic revenue projections.”
Nyoro, who also chairs the Budget and Appropriations Committee, made these remarks on Wednesday, November 20, during the launch of public hearings for the 2025/26 financial year and medium-term budget at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Highlighting a worrying trend in revenue collection, Nyoro said the government has been underperforming despite imposing high taxes on citizens. “We keep making the same mistake all the time. For the last 10 years, our ordinary revenue has only been achieved 67% on average,” he lamented.
“If then you always have a shortfall between our targets and the actual revenue, do we always have to target higher?”
Nyoro also took aim at the government’s spending priorities, accusing it of excessive allocation to recurrent expenditures at the expense of development projects. His remarks underline growing frustration among lawmakers over the balance between tax collection and fiscal discipline.
Adding context to Nyoro’s concerns, Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo revealed the government missed revenue targets for the first three months of the 2024/2025 financial year. “In July, KRA missed the target by KSh 35 billion; in August, it missed the target by KSh 25 billion. In September, which is normally a tax month, it made good progress and only missed the target by KSh 10 billion. In October, KRA raised KSh 208 billion, against a target of KSh 201 billion,” Kiptoo said.
Despite these setbacks, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) achieved over KSh 2.4 trillion in tax revenue for the financial year ending June 30, 2024. This marked an 11.1% growth, attributed to an expanded tax base that netted an additional KSh 24.62 billion. Notable gains were recorded in PAYE collections, which amounted to KSh 543.186 billion.
Nyoro’s remarks signal an ongoing debate about the feasibility of revenue targets and the government’s expenditure strategy, a critical issue as Kenya grapples with economic challenges.
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Ndindi Nyoro Slams Unrealistic Budget Targets in Ruto’s Administration
