Matiang’i: I will cut State House budget by 80% if elected president
By Emmanuel Rono, March 16, 2026Jubilee Party presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i has launched a scathing attack on the Kenya Kwanza administration’s fiscal discipline, citing historic wastage within the State House budget.
Speaking during a church event in Murang’a County on Sunday, March 15, 2026, Matiang’i labeled the ballooning expenditures a symbol of misplaced priorities.
He maintained that public resource management will be a central pillar of his campaign.
“We are suffering from historic wastage of public resources, unprecedented. I have never seen things like this we are seeing. They say this year’s budget allocates Ksh.17 billion to State House,” Matiang’i said.
Matiang’i questioned why the presidency requires significantly more funding than critical national institutions such as the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).
Double budget allocation
He said that the budget allocation is double the amount allocated last year. He maintained that the government cannot prioritize executive luxury while the public’s most basic needs go unmet.
“How can the State House need more money than Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital? State House is not a referral hospital; there is no surgery being done there, no babies are being born there, and no kidney transplant is being done at State House. Why do you need Ksh. 17 billion?” Matiang’i asked.
The 2027 presidential contender linked the surge in State House funding to a strategic effort to influence the upcoming general election through bribery.
He argued that these billions represent a betrayal of the taxpayer and pledged that, under his presidency, the State House budget would be significantly reduced to ensure national resources are directed toward development rather than political patronage.
“We are not foolish. You are doing it because this is an election year; unataka kutumia hiyo pesa kununua watu na kuwahonga watu. That’s what is happening,” Matiang’i said.
Matiangi’s allocation
He outlined how he will cut the budget, saying that he will allocate Ksh 7 billion each to the education and health sectors, while allocating the remaining Ksh 3 billion to the State House.
“This is when I say… give me that job and see. I will cut that budget by 80%. Ksh7 billion will go to education, Ksh7 billion to the health sector. State House will remain with Ksh3 billion and I might even return a billion by the end of the year,” he said.