Mudavadi clarifies diaspora inflows aren’t handled by Treasury
By Mabonga Makhanu, November 22, 2025Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has clarified that diaspora remittances do not pass through the National Treasury, insisting that the money belongs directly to Kenyan families and not the government.
Speaking during an interview with a local media station in Western Kenya on Friday, November 22, 2025, Mudavadi said President William Ruto’s recent acknowledgement of increased diaspora remittances—now above KSh 638 billion as of 2024—had been misunderstood by a section of the public.
He explained that although the funds play a major role in strengthening the country’s economy, they do not enter government accounts.
Mudavadi noted that remittances are sent directly to individuals with relatives working abroad, without any government agency handling or controlling the money.
He added that many Kenyans wrongly assume that diaspora funds are managed by the Treasury or the Central Bank of Kenya.
“Ni vizuri Wakenya wafahamu kuwa hizi pesa ni zao, zinatumwa na jamii zao walioko mataifa mengine, si za serikali. Haiendi kwa National Treasury,” he emphasised.
According to the Prime CS, the continued increase in remittances is largely due to the growing number of Kenyans securing jobs overseas. He revealed that the total annual inflow from Kenyans abroad is fast approaching the one-trillion-shilling mark.
Mudavadi cited the United States as the leading source of foreign exchange for Kenya, followed closely by Saudi Arabia, where more than 300,000 Kenyans are currently employed. The United Kingdom and Qatar also rank among the major contributors.
“Ni ukweli kwamba Wakenya wanaoishi mataifa ya ughaibuni wanaongezeka, na tunakaribia takriban shilingi trilioni moja wanazotuma kwa familia zao,” he said.
Diaspora remittance
During his State of the Nation address, President Ruto praised the steady rise in diaspora remittances, attributing it to his administration’s expanded labour-export programmes.
The president projected that within the next 5 to 7 years, the figure could grow from Ksh658 billion in 2024/2025 to over Ksh1.3 trillion.
The president, during his address, had reaffirmed that diaspora remittances have now overtaken traditional export commodities such as tea and coffee, cementing their place as Kenya’s top source of foreign income.
According to Mudavadi, such gains are the ones that have informed the decision by Ruto’s government to set up a department of diaspora affairs, which was not there in the past regimes.