State House dismiss claims seeking extra money

State House says it has not sought any additional funding outside the original budget for the 2025-26 financial year.

State House Comptroller, Katoo Ole Metito, appeared before the National Assembly Committee on National Administration and Internal Security, chaired by Narok West MP, Gabriel Tongoyo, where he explained that their original budget was slashed by half, causing a huge deficit and subsequently affecting their activities.

“We have not, and I repeat, we have not requested in the supplementary what was not in our original request in the financial year 2025/26. It is just that the activities planned, like even when we talk of salaries, what we were given was enough for six months... so there is nothing unforeseen that we have added, it is just what was in the original budget, which was not funded,” said Katoo.

He told the committee that the approved estimates for the financial year were Sh8.5 billion against the resource requirement of Sh18.3 billion, which they presented to the committee last May, resulting in a shortfall of about Sh9.7 billion; thus, allocation was inadequate to facilitate key planned activities necessitating full funding.

“The National Treasury has considered and approved funding of Sh3.9 billion within the context of Supplementary Estimates No.1 Financial Year 2025/26 to cater for shortfalls under various areas of expenditure, including personnel emoluments, utilities, communications services, and other operating expenditures,” Katoo told the committee yesterday.

“We need to put the record straight, we have the recurrent and the development votes. What I mean by approved is what was in the original budget of 2025/26 as per July 1, last year, and the supplementary is what has been added. So, you add both what was approved in the original budget and what has been added in the supplementary budget. Then you will now get the changes in the estimate," explained Katoo.

He also told the committee that if they approve Sh8.4 billion, it will bring the total to Sh16 billion, which is still Sh2 billion less than what they originally sought in the budget, noting that development in the original budget as per July last year was Sh894.9 million, and there is no additional amount to that.  

“This budgetary allocation was not able to facilitate the key planned activities. So, the fundamental reason for asking for this funding was the fact that we were given 49 per cent of what was required. To prove we were correct in our projection, we received 50 per cent of our resource requirement, and that is why it ended at the end of the first half of the year,” he said.

Katoo also said that the allocation for this financial year was even less than the previous one, which stood at Sh12 billion.

“You see, people do not know out there how big the State House is. They think it is just that one white building. The State House is actually bigger than even some Ministries; it is like three ministries put together. And the other thing out there is people try to make comparisons about how much was spent…. it is not about how much was spent, but how it was spent,” he said.

“I have really been longing to come before this committee to give the correct information, because I know this committee does not rely on what is being said out there or what is being said in public. But it is also good to correct those who say that we don't make comparisons of administration, make comparisons on efficiency,” he added.

Meanwhile, Katoo has explained the financial status of retired Vice President Moody Awori, saying that what has not been fully paid is the pension, which is not under the State House but the National Treasury.

“Pension is not paid by the State House; it does not come through us; it is direct from the Treasury. What the State House does is to facilitate his travel, if any, and that has never been interfered with from our side,” he said.

Katoo insisted that the mandate of the State House is to facilitate the President in the execution of his functions, and the planned outputs are qualitative in nature and measured in terms of percentages, even as he said that the funding they are seeking is intended to support the realisation of the planned targets.