Kenya's government aims to rapidly privatize state-owned companies to raise Ksh149 billion for the current budget, as revealed in the 2025-2026 Financial Year Annual Borrowing Plan. This move is part of filling a Ksh613.5 billion budget shortfall, with 207 non-strategic public enterprises identified for sale.

• Ksh149 billion is expected from privatization proceeds to fund the budget.
• Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed the plans, including a partial sale of Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) via IPO and potentially more of the government’s stake in Safaricom.
• The sale of KPC, which could reduce the government's stake from 100% to 35% (worth around Ksh120 billion), is awaiting parliamentary approval after being reviewed by relevant committees.

A Kenyan parliamentary committee is scrutinizing the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications over the expenditure of nearly Ksh500 million on government advertisements. The controversy stems from a recent Auditor-General's report flagging payments made through the Government Advertising Agency (GAA), with lawmakers demanding verifiable records.

• The Auditor-General's report for the financial year ending June 2023 flagged Ksh495,389,974 spent on advertising, printing, and information supply services.
• The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, questioned the GAA’s failure to provide circulation figures for the MyGov pullout.
• Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe alleged payments were made to The People Daily even after it stopped printing, while Broadcasting and Telecommunications PS Stephen Isaboke defended the transactions as being under valid past contracts.

Kenyans defaulting on Hustler Fund loans will be blocked from accessing loans from banks, according to a warning from the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs. This measure aims to increase accountability and repayment rates for the fund, which has disbursed nearly Ksh70 billion to over 26 million Kenyans since 2022.

• Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya stated that banks will now check Hustler Fund repayment status before approving new loans.
• A Kenya Human Rights Commission report indicated a 68.3 per cent default rate by the end of 2022; however, President William Ruto claimed an over 83 per cent repayment rate.
• Henry Tanui was recently appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Hustler Fund to enhance its effectiveness and collection processes.