Treasury PS Dr Chris Kiptoo officially opened the 2027/28 Budget Public Sector Hearings on behalf of CS John Mbadi on October 9, 2026. /TREASURYThe National Treasury is today concluding three days of public hearings on the 2027/28 budget, with the government working against tight timelines to prepare and submit its spending proposals to Parliament ahead of the August 2027 General Election.
The hearings, held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, brought together stakeholders and members of the public to review sector budget proposals and submit views and recommendations to inform a more responsive, transparent and accountable national budget.
On the final day of the hearings, presentations were scheduled from the Public Administration and International Relations sector at 9am, followed by the Agriculture, Rural and Urban Development sector at 11am and the Education sector at 2pm.
The next major milestone is the submission of the Draft Budget Policy Statement (BPS) for the 2027/28 financial year to Parliament by November 16, 2026, bringing forward the deadline from the initial date of November 30, 2026.
The adjustment is part of changes to the budget calendar intended to ensure Parliament approves the Budget Estimates by March 31, 2027, ahead of the General Election.
“With the August 2027 General Election approaching, the budget calendar has been adjusted to enable Parliament to approve the Budget Estimates by 31 March 2027, supporting fiscal predictability and continuity in public service delivery,” the Treasury said in a statement.
The accelerated schedule puts pressure on the Treasury to consolidate stakeholder submissions, refine sectoral spending priorities and prepare the policy framework within the shortened timelines.
The hearings, led by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, covered key sectors of the economy, including health, education, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, governance, social protection and public administration.
The process is intended to give the public and sector stakeholders an opportunity to influence resource allocation before the government finalises its budget proposals.
Treasury invited the public views as it highlighted the country's recent economic performance, saying Kenya's economy grew by an average of 5.0 per cent between 2022 and 2025, outperforming global growth of 3.4 per cent and Sub-Saharan Africa's 4.1 per cent over the same period.
According to the Treasury, economic growth accelerated to 5.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 4.9 per cent in the corresponding period in 2025, supported by strong performance across key sectors.
The 2027/28 budget framework is anchored in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), Kenya Vision 2030 and the Fourth Medium-Term Plan (MTP IV).
Its priority areas include agriculture, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), universal health coverage, affordable housing and the digital and creative economy.
The government has also committed to containing total expenditure below 21.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), as it pursues expenditure control and a reduction in the budget deficit.
The Draft BPS will provide the fiscal and policy framework to guide the preparation of the detailed Budget Estimates, which Parliament is expected to approve by March 31, 2027.
