Kenyans can now get a clearer picture of how government plans to spend public money after the National Assembly approved the 2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), setting the broad spending limits and priorities for the 2026/2027 financial year.
The approval of the policy statement means the National Assembly has agreed on how much the national government can spend and which sectors will receive priority funding before the detailed budget estimates are prepared.
The total national government budget ceiling has been set at KES2.878 trillion.
Out of this amount, the Executive will receive KES2.797 trillion, while Parliament has been allocated KES50.78 billion and the Judiciary KES30.44 billion. These ceilings guide how ministries, departments and agencies will prepare their budgets in the coming financial year.
Counties are set to receive KES420 billion as the equitable share to county governments, ensuring funds flow to the devolved units for services such as health, agriculture and local infrastructure.
Education remains one of the largest beneficiaries, with more than KSh 160 billion proposed for university education and research, and about KSh 134.7 billion for basic education.
The security sector also receives a large share. The National Police Service is allocated about KSh 143.2 billion, while the Ministry of Defence is set to receive over KSh 241 billion to support national security operations and defence programmes.
Infrastructure development is another priority. The State Department for Roads is projected to receive more than KSh 232 billion, while the housing sector will receive about KSh 139 billion to support housing development and urban programmes.
Following approval, the Budget Policy Statement and accompanying resolutions will provide the fiscal foundation for the 2026/2027 national budget and guide the preparation of detailed spending plans to be presented to Parliament in the coming months.
By Anthony Solly
