New York joyriders: Senators bitter with high cost of taking government to UN meeting

President William Ruto, Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina, Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru and Mining CS Hassan Joho in the streets of New York after attending UNGA in the USA. [PCS]

The government’s decision to send seven Cabinet Secretaries to the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York has ignited a fierce debate over public spending, government efficiency, and the prioritisation of international travel over domestic accountability.

The controversy, which erupted during the Senate’s Mashinani sitting in Kilifi County on Wednesday, has raised questions about the cost of Kenya’s diplomatic engagements at a time when millions of citizens continue to face economic hardship and strained public services.

At the centre of the storm is a delegation that includes Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), Alice Wahome (Lands), Julius Ogamba (Education), William Kabogo (ICT), and Aden Duale (Health).

The delegation also includes First Lady Rachel Ruto, Principal Secretaries Korir Sing’oei (Foreign Affairs) and Charles Hinga (Housing), Alex Wachira (Energy), Harry Kimtai (Mining), and Abubakar Hassan Abubakar (Investment Promotion). Other officials in the entourage include SHA CEO Mercy Mwangani, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, and Amb Philip Thigo, the Special Envoy on Technology.

Political leaders travelling with the delegation include Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina, and Belgut MP Nelson Koech and Busia Governor Paul Otuoma.

While the government has not released an official cost breakdown for the UNGA trip, estimates from insiders place the figure at approximately Sh500 million, according to finance expert Eric Muli.

"I did quick math and I have been to the hotel the delegation is staying. When I was there rooms were upwards of USD 1000 per night. The hotel the Kenyan delegation is staying is the Beekman Tower and it is not cheap. That whole street has hotels that are fully booked because its right next to UNGA venue. Now multiply that amount by almost one hundred people in the Kenyan delegation.  The figure accounts for return air tickets, accommodation, security details, per diems, and other logistical expenses for the entire delegation. If they carried their girlfriends, the figure could be higher," says Muli.

He says that the figure is a lower estimate but because it’s the tax payer footing the bill, he has to speak out.

"Whether the investments and agreements signed at UNGA justify the expense remains a matter of political debate. What is certain is that the bill will be paid by Kenyan taxpayers," says Muli.

The scale of the spending has alarmed opposition senators, who argue that the government is prioritising international visibility over domestic accountability.

“The Parliament of Kenya should be disturbed because this not only has a bearing on the efficiency of how our Government is run; it also has a financial implication, to the extent, there are return tickets running into millions of shillings, PSs have accompanied them, other senior Government officials have accompanied them, their security and all manner of expenses,” said Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale. “This is assuming that Kenya is running on autopilot.”

Dr Khalwale’s said: “Kenya is not a failed state where seven Cabinet Secretaries can accompany the President to the United Nations General Assembly and the responsibility that they are going to discharge is to sit in the background when the President is reading a statement.”

The financial implications extend beyond the immediate costs of the trip. A report by the Controller of Budget revealed that government institutions spent Sh14.83 billion on foreign travel, domestic travel, and hospitality between July and December 2025. Foreign travel expenses alone rose sharply from Sh872.5 million in September to Sh3.13 billion by December.

For a government that announced sweeping austerity measures in 2024, including the scrapping of confidential budgets and a 50 per cent reduction in renovation budgets, the optics of a large UNGA delegation have proven politically damaging.

Beyond the financial cost, the UNGA trip exposed a more immediate problem: the absence of key Cabinet Secretaries from the Senate, where they were scheduled to answer questions on matters affecting Kenyans.

Speaker Amason Kingi informed the House that four CSs had been scheduled to appear: Julius Ogamba (Education), Hassan Joho (Mining), William Kabogo (ICT), and Salim Mvurya (Youth Affairs). Only Mvurya appeared. Ogamba, Joho, and Kabogo were in New York.

The absence of Mining CS Hassan Joho was particularly consequential. The Senate Agriculture Committee, sitting jointly with the Energy and Lands committees, had visited the Kilifi Central fish landing site the previous day. Fishermen, beach management units, residents, and young people had raised concerns about a planned public-private partnership to run the facility, particularly fears that local residents could miss out on employment opportunities.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who had given an undertaking that Joho would appear before the Senate, expressed his disappointment.

“They are very worried, especially the young people there, who have not been given any assurance that they will be the ones given priority to work there,” Sifuna said. “People are worried. Senator Mungatana was there. You had the concerns of the beach management units. You had the concerns of the area residents and it would have been a very useful conversation to have.”

Sifuna said he only discovered Joho was in New York after seeing a late-night social media post by the CS.

“The most interesting thing Kenyans have noted is that this government delegation has never taken a walk in our own capital the way that they’re walking around in other capitals,” Sifuna added, contrasting Joho’s New York stroll with the daily struggles of Nairobi residents navigating poor roads and inadequate pavements.

The Constitution requires Cabinet Secretaries to appear before Senate or National Assembly committees when required to answer questions relating to their dockets. Article 125 gives either House and its committees the power to summon persons to provide evidence or information.

Kenya Kwanza senators defended the Cabinet Secretaries’ presence in New York, arguing that international trips provide opportunities for ministers to conduct bilateral meetings and negotiate agreements related to their dockets.

“Whenever we accompany the Head of State, if it is a ministry and there are agreements to be signed, you have separate meetings, side meetings and you are able to execute,” said Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, who participated in the Kilifi fish landing site visit. “In the same trip, you multitask, you do many things at the same time instead of coming back and going and going and going.”

Mungatana rejected the assumption that the Cabinet ministers were merely sitting behind the President.

“It is not true, Mr Speaker, that the only duty that the ministers execute is to sit behind the President and just pass notes,” he said.

The government has consistently maintained that President Ruto’s international engagements are aimed at strengthening Kenya’s diplomatic ties, attracting foreign direct investment, securing development financing, and expanding market access for Kenyan products abroad.

At UNGA, President Ruto is advancing Kenya’s investment agenda, including a planned Sh2.2 trillion East Africa Refinery in Lamu, a 700,000-barrel-a-day project expected to create more than 60,000 jobs. He is also promoting the Africa Development Bank-backed AI 10 Billion Initiative and positioning Kenya as a regional technology hub.

The President co-chaired business roundtables hosted by the Africa Finance Corporation and the Global Africa Business Initiative, alongside industrialist Aliko Dangote.

Adding to the political intrigue surrounding the trip was the conspicuous absence of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki from the send-off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

President Ruto was seen off by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, First Lady Rachel Ruto, and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah. Kindiki was not present.

Murkomen shared an update on his social media platforms, saying he was honoured to see off the President as he departed for New York.

The Deputy President’s absence sparked debate online, with Kenyans questioning why the country’s second-in-command was not present as the President left for a major international engagement. Some commenters speculated about wider political developments, though no evidence was provided for such claims.

Sources indicate that Kindiki remained in Kenya and was at his Karen residence, not at the airport for the send-off.

The UNGA controversy is not an isolated incident. It comes amid growing scrutiny of government travel expenditure across all branches of government.

Between July and December 2025, State House spent Sh336.52 million on hospitality alone, up from Sh199.21 million in the first three months of the financial year. The Office of the Deputy President used Sh262.43 million on hospitality in the same period.

The Judiciary recorded Sh411.92 million in domestic travel expenditure within six months, while the State Department for Foreign Affairs spent Sh1.08 billion on foreign trips.

President Ruto spent Sh1,291.12 million on foreign tours between July 2025 and March 2026, according to the National Government Budget Implementation Review Report. The Deputy President’s office spent Sh76.73 million on foreign travel over the same period.

Critics, including former Justice Minister Martha Karua, have argued that the President’s frequent foreign travels place an unnecessary financial burden on taxpayers.

“I think he is the president who has gone out too many times,” Karua said in a June 2026 interview. “He does not like to travel with Kenya Airways. He travels using expensive jets, which we can hardly afford.”

She challenged the government to provide a detailed accounting of the costs associated with the President’s foreign trips, including the size of delegations, and compare them with the benefits generated.

Back in Kilifi, the Senate’s Mashinani sitting was supposed to bring Parliament closer to the people, allowing residents to raise issues directly with their representatives. Instead, the absence of key Cabinet Secretaries highlighted the tension between international engagements and domestic accountability.

The three Senate committees that visited the Kilifi Central Fish Landing Site have called for the urgent handover of the facility to the county government so that it can be operationalised.

Sifuna asked Speaker Kingi to set the earliest possible date for Joho, Ogamba, and Kabogo to appear before the Senate once they return from New York.

“I’m just to register the disappointment on behalf of the young people and the fishermen that spoke to us yesterday at the fish landing site and to hope that we will have the CSs appear soonest possible. I don’t know how long UNGA lasts,” Sifuna said.