A recent report reveals that several Kenyan counties, including Nairobi, Kitui, and Machakos, have collectively spent hundreds of millions of shillings on domestic and foreign travel, often at the expense of development projects.

• Kitui County was the highest spender on travel, allocating Ksh 536.9 million to local travel and Ksh 72 million to foreign engagements.
• Nairobi County spent Ksh 630.3 million on domestic travel alone, with Ksh 271.3 million from the County Assembly and Ksh 359.1 million from the Executive.
• Machakos County spent Ksh 532 million on domestic travel and an additional Ksh 99 million on foreign trips to countries like Brazil, Dubai, and China.
• The report highlights that travel expenses in some County Assemblies even surpassed development budgets for critical sectors like water and agriculture.
• Counties collectively spent Ksh 346.98 billion on recurrent costs, representing 74 percent of total expenditure, prioritizing salaries and operations over development.
• Nairobi City County recorded the highest recurrent expenditure at Ksh 29.43 billion, including Ksh 18.3 billion for employee compensation.