By Fridah Mbuvi, June 11, 2026
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi broke with decades of Budget Day tradition on Thursday by choosing to walk from the National Treasury Building to Parliament instead of arriving in the customary ceremonial vehicle.
In a departure from the long-established practice that has seen Finance ministers and Treasury chiefs driven to Parliament in grey Peugeot sedans and later Volkswagen Passat models, Mbadi covered the approximately 750-metre distance on foot, signaling a message of simplicity and public accountability ahead of the presentation of the Sh4.84 trillion 2026/27 national budget.
Despite abandoning the traditional motorcade, Mbadi retained one of Budget Day’s most enduring symbols — the iconic black Harambee briefcase — which carried the government’s fiscal blueprint for the coming financial year.
The budget presentation, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., outlines government spending priorities aimed at creating jobs, expanding healthcare services, strengthening education funding and managing the country’s growing public debt burden.
Budget Day arrivals have long been treated as symbolic moments, with previous Treasury chiefs maintaining the ceremonial drive to Parliament. Mbadi’s decision to walk marked a rare break from that tradition, drawing attention even before he formally tabled the spending plan before lawmakers.
The Sh4.84 trillion budget comes amid mounting pressure on the government to balance economic growth with fiscal discipline as it grapples with rising debt obligations, revenue shortfalls and persistent cost-of-living concerns.
