Protests, teargas and chaos marred budget day as National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi abandoned the traditional official Volkswagen Passat and walked from his office, through Harambee Avenue, to the Parliament Buildings—a stretch of about 200 metres.

Accompanied by his Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, both of them wearing navy-blue suits, Mbadi walked briskly along Harambee Avenue carrying the traditional budget briefcase emblazoned with the coat of arms. They were escorted by a host of civil servants.

A red flower was pinned neatly to the lapel of their coats, adding a touch of ceremony, elegance and style to their appearance. What he was about to do was of societal importance.

However, when he arrived at Parliament, there was no one to receive him, as is the norm where the National Assembly Speaker, Majority and Minority leaders, Budget and Appropriations Committee chair and his Finance counterpart receive him.

Confident Mbadi

Carrying the iconic black briefcase, Mbadi strode with his head high, glancing at the cameras, occasionally.

All this as protesters flocked to the National Treasury Building with chants ringing the air that ‘No justice for Albert Ojwang, No reading of Budget’ and billows of smoke from teargas canisters clouding the air. At least two vehicles were set ablaze and property of unknown value destroyed. Police and the protesters had engaged in running battles across major roads within the Central Business District (CBD) for the better part of the morning.  

The 2025/26 Financial Year budget reading was rocked by protests, teargas and chaos in the city.

The protests were not on the budget but on a clarion call for justice for the late Albert Ojwang, whose life was cut short while in the hands of the police on Saturday.

Once inside Parliament, Mbadi cooled his heels at the Members’ Lounge, awaiting other parliamentary procedures.

Parliamentary leadership

After some minutes, the parliamentary leadership seemed to realise they had not properly welcomed and received the Cabinet Secretary. The head of protocol arranged the parliamentary leadership and called on the CS to walk towards them in a show of an official welcoming ceremony.

Inside the budget briefcase was a Sh4.24 trillion budget in which he was to outline tax measures for the fiscal year 2025/26, which begins on July 1, 2025.

Mbadi would later be escorted to the National Assembly at exactly 3.07pm.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula gave the preliminaries before Mbadi started his speech at exactly 3.12pm, East African Time.

In his maiden budget speech, Mbadi spent about one hour setting the stage for the 2025/26 budget reading in a half-empty august House.

Outside Parliament, security was tight with police officers armed to the teeth while others were taking patrol horse riding along the Parliament Road, Harambee Avenue and City Hall Way.

Unlike in the previous budget-reading day, where a section of the public would carry placards urging MPs to lower the cost of living, yesterday’s event was marked by absence of any groupings.