Nairobi — Kenya’s intelligence chief has issued a stark warning to Parliament: cut funding, and risk the country’s safety.
Noordin Haji, Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), told lawmakers that Kenya’s security is “under threat,” as the agency faces a Sh14 billion shortfall in its proposed budget for the 2024/25 financial year.
Speaking on Monday before the National Assembly’s Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, Haji said, “I am saddened that we do not take our national security seriously.” His voice was firm, if tinged with frustration. “Over the past decade, the sector has not received enough support to equip itself properly. That is a danger we cannot ignore.”
The NIS had requested Sh65 billion. It received Sh51 billion.
The shortfall, Haji argued, doesn’t just affect intelligence gathering it weakens Kenya’s entire security network. Agencies that rely on intelligence from the NIS to respond to threats, including terrorism and cybercrime, are now left exposed.
“We have faced threats from Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda,” he said. “Only Tanzania has posed no threat. That’s why I get emotional when it seems like our safety is not a priority.”
Haji, often tight-lipped about agency operations, shared rare budget specifics during the hearing. Of the allocated funds, Sh33 billion will go towards personnel costs. Sh5.5 billion is earmarked for updating intelligence infrastructure, Sh4.5 billion for surveillance expansion, and Sh2.5 billion for joint operations with other agencies.
But a Sh1 billion request to hire and train new recruits specialists needed to tackle modern threats was not approved.
“The age of disinformation and misinformation is a real threat to national stability,” he said. “We can’t continue to treat staff training and technology upgrades as optional.”
Committee Chair Nelson Koech, MP for Belgut, acknowledged the pressure the agency is under but stopped short of promising a funding review. “We will look into it, but there are many competing priorities,” he said.
Some in Parliament agree with Haji’s assessment. Others say budget scrutiny is essential, even for the intelligence services, especially amid rising living costs and a strained economy.
Still, Haji’s message was clear: the threats are real, and the country cannot afford to be caught unprepared.
Whether Parliament adjusts the budget or not, the hearing made one thing plain Kenya’s top spy is worried. And he wants the nation to take that seriously.
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