Karua Pledges 60% Cut in Government Travel and Hospitality Spending
By Fridah Mbuvi, June 15, 2026
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has pledged to slash non-essential government expenditure by 60 per cent if elected to office, targeting spending on foreign and local travel, entertainment, and hospitality.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s Sunday Live, the former Justice Minister outlined a fiscal discipline strategy aimed at reducing waste, fighting corruption, and ensuring government spending remains within the country’s actual revenues.
Karua said her administration would adopt strict austerity measures to curb unnecessary expenditure, arguing that excessive spending has contributed to the country’s mounting debt burden.
She vowed to halt excessive borrowing and avoid imposing aggressive new taxes, saying Kenya must first stop accumulating debt before attempting to address its fiscal challenges.
“If you are in a hole and you want to get out, stop digging,” she said.
Karua said her government would pursue a balanced budgeting approach by aligning expenditure with actual revenue collections instead of relying on borrowing and overly optimistic projections.
She also pledged to seal corruption loopholes and eliminate wastage before asking Kenyans to shoulder additional tax burdens.
As part of her anti-corruption agenda, Karua promised to introduce mandatory lifestyle audits for public officials and accelerate investigations and prosecutions to demonstrate that corruption would no longer be tolerated.
The PLP leader also criticized President William Ruto’s administration over what she termed excessive foreign travel, arguing that the Head of State should devote more time to addressing domestic challenges.
She said diplomatic engagements should largely be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that Cabinet Secretaries are appointed to represent the President in such assignments.
Karua maintained that prudent financial management and accountability are essential to restoring economic stability and easing the burden on taxpayers.
