Kenya’s Parliament is pushing for a bigger national budget — and part of it includes a controversial plan to spend Ksh.150 million on tracking social media users.
The proposal, tucked within fresh recommendations from the Budget and Appropriations Committee, is raising eyebrows just days before Treasury Cabinet Secretary Francis Mbadi is due to deliver the national budget statement.
If approved, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will receive funding to buy and operate a surveillance system known as “Optimus 3.0” — a tool reportedly capable of identifying social media users, tracing locations, and linking posts to specific devices.
Surveillance vs. Priorities
Lawmakers say the move is meant to help police fight crime and online misinformation. But it’s come at a cost to other public programmes.
The committee has recommended cutting Ksh.400 million from the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya — a move that has sparked concern among rights advocates.
“It’s worrying that critical services for the disabled are being sidelined while funds go to spy tech,” said James Kilonzo, a Nairobi-based human rights lawyer. “It sends the wrong message.”
The proposal adds Ksh.50 million for acquiring the Optimus system, plus another Ksh.100 million for operating and maintaining the technology at the DCI’s forensic lab.
According to budget insiders, the system can gather data across different platforms, track who is posting what, and tie digital activity to specific users via connection data.
Though the government hasn’t officially confirmed how Optimus works, experts say tools like it are common in intelligence work. Critics argue such systems risk breaching privacy rights if not properly overseen.
Who Gains, Who Loses
The overall budget for the national government has been bumped up by Ksh.33 billion, bringing the total to Ksh.2.54 trillion. Much of the gain goes to security and top government offices.
The police service is among the biggest winners. The Office of the Inspector General gets Ksh.800 million more for operations. The Deputy Inspector General’s office in charge of Administrative Police gets an extra Ksh.60 million.
The Ministry of Defence will receive an extra Ksh.13 billion, now totalling Ksh.213 billion — the highest it has ever received. This includes Ksh.5 billion for Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) operations in Somalia, and Ksh.2 billion for recruitment.
Meanwhile, the President’s office has secured an increase of Ksh.455 million for operations, bringing its total to Ksh.5.37 billion. But to free up these funds, a Ksh.550 million cut has been made to the development budget.
That includes funds that would have gone to capital transfers like replacing ageing vehicles for top officials. A line item even includes replacing “the old fleet of motor vehicles for the Chief of Staff and the Head of Public Service.”
The Deputy President’s office also sees its budget rise to Ksh.3.07 billion, thanks to a Ksh.150 million bump for operating costs.
Big Cuts in Education
While top offices are gaining, education is taking a major hit. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will lose Ksh.570 million overall, including Ksh.620 million meant for capacity building.
University education funding will drop by Ksh.920 million, while primary education faces a Ksh.405 million cut. Secondary and junior secondary education are among the hardest hit, losing a combined Ksh.5 billion in capitation.
“That’s a big blow to students across the country,” said Rose Atieno, an education policy researcher. “We’re sending children back to crowded classrooms with fewer resources.”
The National Assembly is expected to debate the committee’s recommendations before the final budget is read later this week. If passed, these figures will shape Kenya’s financial path for the next year — and stir up even more public debate about national priorities.
