Government Seeks Funds Through Privatization and Loan Recovery Amid Scrutiny on Ad Spending - September 2025

The Kenyan government aims to rapidly privatize 207 non-strategic public enterprises to raise Ksh149 billion for the current budget, as detailed in the 2025-2026 Financial Year Annual Borrowing Plan. This action is part of a strategy to fill a Ksh613.5 billion budget shortfall. Concurrently, the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs warned that Kenyans who default on Hustler Fund loans will be blocked from accessing loans from banks. This is a measure to increase repayment for the fund which has disbursed nearly Ksh70 billion. Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee is scrutinizing the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications over the expenditure of nearly Ksh500 million on government advertisements, following flags from an Auditor-General's report.