KSh44.5 Million Question: DP’s Spouse Office Spends Public Funds Despite Zero Budget Allocation

Fresh questions are emerging after a government report revealed that the Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President spent millions of shillings despite having no approved budget. The latest review by the Controller of Budget shows that the office, headed by Dr. Joyce Njagi, used KSh44.52 million during the first half of the 2025/26 financial year.

The expenditure was recorded between July 1 and December 31, 2025. However, according to Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o, the office had not been allocated funds by the National Assembly for the current financial year. The situation has raised concerns about the source of the money used to finance the activities of the office.

In the National Government Budget Implementation Review report, Nyakang’o flagged the spending as questionable. She pointed out that the office of the deputy president’s spouse is not formally created under the Constitution as a public institution that can independently receive taxpayer funding. Because of this, the use of public resources by the office has attracted scrutiny.

The report further suggests that the operations may have been supported through the Office of the Deputy President. That office received KSh3.07 billion in the current financial year to support its constitutional responsibilities. However, providing financial support to the deputy president’s spouse’s office is not listed among its official mandates.

The revelation comes against the backdrop of austerity measures announced by President William Ruto in 2024. At the time, the president ordered the removal of budgets for the offices of the First Lady, the spouse of the deputy president, and the spouse of the Prime Cabinet Secretary. The move was intended to reduce government spending after nationwide protests against the Finance Bill 2024.

Before the directive, the government had proposed allocating about KSh1.3 billion to the three offices. The Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President had been set to receive KSh557.6 million from that amount.

In the current financial year, however, no funds were officially approved for the office. The Controller of Budget’s findings therefore raise concerns about how KSh44.52 million was spent without a direct budgetary allocation.

The issue is now likely to spark renewed debate about government spending, transparency, and the need for clear legal structures governing public support offices.