Kenya Struggles to Stabilize Public Finances After Tax Protests
- Treasury widens budget gap for current fiscal year by 28%
- State forced to abandon tax measures after deadly protests
Armed police officers patrol a market during protests in the central business district of Nairobi.
Photographer: Kang-Chun Cheng/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Kenya widened its estimated budget gap by 28% just two months into the fiscal year as the finance ministry struggles to stabilize its strained public finances, Treasury Secretary John Mbadi said.
The National Treasury forecasts a budget deficit of 767 billion shillings ($5.95 billion) in the year through June 2025, Mbadi told the government’s accounting officers at an event in the capital, Nairobi, on Monday that marked the start of the budget-preparation process.