NAIROBI, Kenya, June 23 – Nairobi County spent more than Sh1.57 billion on local and foreign travel in the first nine months of the 2025/26 financial year, emerging as the highest-spending county on official trips.
Data from the Controller of Budget’s County Governments Budget Implementation Review Report shows Nairobi spent Sh1.2 billion on domestic travel and a further Sh373.6 million on foreign trips between July 2025 and May 2026.
West Pokot County recorded the second-highest expenditure on domestic travel at Sh492.9 million, while spending Sh11.37 million on foreign trips during the same period.
Baringo County also featured among the top spenders, with officials spending Sh48.3 million on domestic travel and Sh40.64 million on foreign travel.
Overall, county governments spent Sh13.17 billion on domestic and foreign travel, accounting for 15 percent of the Sh88.22 billion spent on operations and maintenance during the review period.
The report shows Baringo had the highest travel-to-operations and maintenance expenditure ratio at 42 percent, followed by Lamu County at 36 percent, Homa Bay County at 35 percent and West Pokot at 32 percent.
In contrast, Mandera County reported the lowest ratio at four percent, while Kilifi County and Wajir County each recorded six percent.
Garissa and Mandera were among the counties with the lowest spending on domestic travel, at Sh62.17 million and Sh77.19 million respectively.
The report further indicates that Kirinyaga County, Siaya County and Homa Bay did not spend any funds on foreign travel during the period under review.
The findings come despite government efforts to curb public expenditure through austerity measures announced after the withdrawal of the 2024 Finance Bill. The measures included plans to reduce non-essential domestic and foreign travel, cut the number of advisers and rationalise state corporations with overlapping mandates.
