The Ministry of Health is asking for an extra Sh3.65 billion to deploy 5,499 intern healthcare workers across the country.
This comes after it emerged that the current budget estimates have only allocated Sh4 billion, falling short of the Sh7.68 billion needed.
Appearing before the Budget and Appropriations Committee chaired by Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi, Health Committee Chairperson and Seme MP James Nyikal said the funds are urgently needed to honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and deploy the interns, who have already completed the balloting process.
“The Ministry of Health has proposed the allocation of the Sh3.65 billion shortfall in the FY 2025/26 supplementary budget,” said Dr. Nyikal.
He also urged that within 30 days of the budget report being adopted, the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors, and healthcare unions should agree on a clear roadmap to convert Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers to permanent and pensionable terms.
He recommended that gratuity payments be factored in when their current contracts end in May 2026.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee is receiving similar concerns from other departmental committee chairs about critical funding shortfalls in the 2025/26 Budget Estimates for various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie, Chair of the Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation, raised alarm over continued budget cuts to key state corporations.
He pointed out that no funds have been allocated to the Postal Corporation of Kenya and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), despite Cabinet approval for urgent support.
“Although the two corporations were identified as needing urgent interventions to become commercially viable, the proposed 2025/26 and medium-term budgets have completely ignored them,” said Kiarie. “This continued lack of funding will only worsen the pending bills crisis, which has already reached alarming levels.”
Tigania West MP John Mutunga, who chairs the Agriculture and Livestock Committee, warned that only 3% of the national budget has been allocated to agriculture—far below what is required.
“The ministry needs Sh103 billion for the next financial year, but only Sh58 billion has been allocated. This leaves a huge gap of Sh45 billion,” Mutunga said.
He noted that the sector supports six of the nine value chains under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and is critical for food security and economic growth.
He proposed budget reallocations to strengthen services in both the State Department for Agriculture and that for Livestock.
Meanwhile, North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko, who chairs the Lands Committee, proposed an additional Sh7.22 billion for the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning.
The funds would support ICT infrastructure upgrades and land acquisition in Tana River, Garissa, and Mombasa.
He also recommended Sh441.32 million more for the National Land Commission to enable compulsory land acquisition for the Nairobi Eastern and Southern bypass projects.
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