Members of Parliament (MPs) have put the State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development on the spot over conflicting budget figures amounting to billions of shillings, questioning the credibility of financial data presented for the 2024/25 financial year.

Appearing before the National Assembly Transport Committee, chaired by Ndia MP George Kariuki, Principal Secretary Teresia Mbaika told MPs that during the period under review, the Department’s functions were still under the Air Transport Programme within the State Department for Transport.

Mbaika said the programme included two key sub-programmes, Aircraft Accident Investigations and Air Transport Services.

She reported an approved allocation of Sh11.563 billion, with Sh11.513 billion earmarked for recurrent spending and Sh50 million set aside for development, specifically the construction of a runway at Matulo Airstrip.

The PS noted that while the development funds were fully absorbed, the recurrent budget recorded a 72 per cent absorption rate, translating to Sh8.319 billion expenditure.

However, MPs faulted the Department for spending nearly all its funds on recurrent operations while allocating only Sh50 million, less than one per cent of the total, to development.

Chief Finance Officer Nyawara defended the figures, saying the limited development budget was the result of funding cuts that affected project implementation.

The session turned tense after it emerged that the figures provided by Mbaika differed from those presented earlier by her counterpart, PS Mohamed Daghar.

According to Mbaika, the approved budget stood at Sh23.319 billion with Sh21.974 billion spent, while Daghar’s submission showed Sh25.598 billion approved and Sh26.078 billion spent, revealing a Sh2.3 billion variance and apparent over-expenditure beyond parliamentary approval.

Describing the discrepancies as “alarming,” the Committee directed its Fiscal Analyst to work with both principal secretaries to reconcile the data and submit a verified report before the next sitting.

Acting Managing Director of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), Mohamud Gedi, maintained that the figures presented were accurate and reflected actual expenditure, insisting there was no misuse of funds.

Ibrahim Saney questioned why the government had not appointed a substantive Managing Director for KAA, saying the prolonged acting leadership was affecting accountability and efficiency. Gedi currently holds the position in an acting capacity.

Saney also criticised what he called “unfair and discriminatory” profiling of Kenyan-Somali travellers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

“While our officers are busy profiling innocent Kenyans, drugs are slipping through our airports,” he said, urging authorities to review security procedures.

In response, PS Mbaika acknowledged the sector faces multiple challenges, including underfunding, ageing infrastructure, high operational costs, and security gaps. She called for increased budgetary support, capacity building, and the settlement of KAA’s pending bills to enhance efficiency.

The Committee instructed the State Department to submit a comprehensive, reconciled report before Parliament, warning that such discrepancies compromise transparency and weaken oversight.

Chairperson George Kariuki emphasised that accountability in public spending is critical, saying the aviation sector cannot thrive under financial inconsistencies and weak leadership.