Kenya’s Parliamentary Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee has wrapped up a major budget oversight exercise in Mombasa, scrutinising how key security and foreign affairs agencies are spending public funds in the 2025/2026 financial year.
Committee Convenes in Mombasa
The oversight sessions took place in Mombasa County on Saturday, May 2, 2026. They were chaired by Hon. Nelson Koech, MP for Belgut, who leads the powerful House committee.
The engagements brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, the State Department for Foreign Affairs, the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, and the State Department for East African Community Affairs.
What Was on the Table
The committee reviewed budget implementation progress across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) falling under its mandate. Lawmakers pressed agency heads to account for expenditure against planned programmes and projects for the current financial year.
The sessions form part of Parliament’s constitutional role to ensure accountability and prudent utilisation of public resources. No specific budget figures or flagged irregularities were publicly disclosed at the time of reporting.
Why It Matters
Defence and foreign affairs budgets in Kenya often attract limited public scrutiny due to their sensitive nature. This oversight exercise signals Parliament’s push to enforce transparency even in traditionally opaque dockets.
The committee’s findings are expected to inform parliamentary reports that could influence budget allocations and policy adjustments heading into the next financial year.
Public Reaction
“It is refreshing to see the defence committee actually doing field oversight instead of sitting in Nairobi rubber-stamping reports. Keep this up,” wrote Facebook user Baraka Mwangi in the comments.
“We need to know exactly how much was allocated to diaspora affairs and what was actually delivered. Vague updates are not enough,” commented Aisha Salim, drawing dozens of likes on the post.
