Kenya has officially kicked off preparations for the 2027-28 national budget, with the National Treasury setting an ambitious timetable designed to complete the country’s spending plans well before the August 2027 General Election.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi launched the budget preparation process on Wednesday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), signalling the start of one of the government’s most important annual planning exercises.
The schedule is unusually tight. If completed on time, Parliament will have passed both the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill by the end of March 2027, leaving several months before Kenyans head to the polls on August 10 to elect a president, governors, senators, Members of Parliament and Members of County Assembly.
The National Treasury said the process would remain open to public participation, describing citizen involvement as a constitutional requirement in government budgeting.
“The event is open to the public to promote transparency and inclusiveness in budget formulation,” the Treasury said ahead of the launch.
The budget calendar begins with the publication of the Draft Budget Review and Outlook Paper by August 15, followed by Cabinet approval before the end of the month.
Attention will then shift to sector working groups between September and early October. The forums will bring together ministries, departments, agencies and other stakeholders to review spending priorities and recommend funding allocations for the coming financial year.
Government ministries are expected to submit their sector budget proposals by October 23.
The Treasury will then prepare the Draft Budget Policy Statement together with the Division of Revenue Bill and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill. Those documents are expected to reach Cabinet by mid-November before being tabled in Parliament by November 30.
The process will continue through December, when ministries are required to submit detailed spending plans under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
From January 2027, the focus will shift to Parliament.
The Treasury plans to present consolidated budget proposals to Cabinet before forwarding them, alongside the Finance Bill, to the National Assembly by January 29. Parliamentary committees will begin scrutinising the estimates in February before submitting their recommendations in early March.
The Treasury is expected to publish the Budget Statement by March 18, while lawmakers are scheduled to pass both the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill by March 31.
The final phase will centre on election preparedness. The Treasury is expected to prepare a pre-election economic report by April 30 and submit its final report to Parliament by May 10.
Completing the budget months before the General Election is intended to ensure government operations continue without disruption during the campaign period while giving the next administration a clear fiscal framework to inherit.
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