By Bonface Mulyungi

The High Court has directed Parliament to disclose details of its annual National Prayer Breakfast expenditure.

In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, Justice Gregory Murai held that the respondents, the National Assembly, Senate and Parliamentary Service Commission, violated the petitioner’s rights by failing to promptly and transparently provide information sought on the funding of the annual event.

The dispute arose after the petitioner, lawyer Lempaa Soyianka, wrote to the clerks of both Houses on March 13, last year requesting detailed information on the cost, funding structure and expenditure of the National Prayer Breakfast.

A follow-up request was made on June 9 after no substantive disclosure had been provided.

The judge said the matter was escalated to the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), the oversight body, which wrote to Parliament seeking clarification.

In response, the Clerk of the National Assembly indicated that the request was under consideration by the Parliamentary Service Commission.

The court heard that the Senate similarly informed the CAJ that a response was being prepared and would be communicated in due course.

A subsequent letter dated July 17, 2025, eventually indicated that the National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event whose funding is included in parliamentary expenditure estimates tabled before Parliament and subject to audit by the Office of the Auditor-General.

However, the court found that these responses did not meet the constitutional threshold required under Article 35 on access to information.

“The respondents are not sure why it would be necessary to withhold such information or to provide it or why they would not want to provide it in a manner that is accessible to lay Kenyans without accounting knowledge,” Justice Mutai said.

He said public institutions are constitutionally obligated to facilitate access to information in a meaningful way.

The court emphasised that Article 10 of the Constitution requires state organs to uphold principles of transparency, accountability and good governance.

It also underscored that access to information is a cornerstone of democratic governance, enabling citizens to scrutinise public spending and hold leaders accountable.

“I order the respondents jointly or separately, that is the first, second and third respondents jointly and separately to provide the information sought by the petitioner in his later 13th of March 2025 to him within 30 days of the date hereof.,” the judge ordered.

The court further directed that the information must be presented in a form that is accessible and understandable to laypersons.

Justice Mutai, however, declined to declare the National Prayer Breakfast unconstitutional, noting that the issue had not been properly pleaded before the court and therefore could not be determined at the judgment stage.

The National Prayer Breakfast in Kenya was first introduced in 2003.

It is an annual event hosted by Parliament and attended by political leaders, religious leaders, and other dignitaries.

The next edition of the event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.