Parliament is sounding the alarm over a looming funding gap affecting key tourism agencies after concerns emerged that several Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) under the tourism docket were excluded from the 2026/27 national budget estimates.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife questioned why critical institutions mandated to promote, regulate, and develop Kenya’s tourism sector were left without any financial allocation.
Among the affected agencies are the Tourism Regulatory Authority, Tourism Research Institute, Kenya Tourism Board, Kenya Utalii College, the Tourism Fund, and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
MPs warned that the absence of funding could severely disrupt marketing, training, research, and infrastructure development in the sector.
MPs Raise Alarm Over Exclusion of Key Tourism Agencies
The concerns were raised during a budget review session with Tourism CS Rebecca Miano, who appeared before the committee after missing two consecutive sittings, an issue that had previously drawn criticism from MPs.
Miano apologised for her earlier absences, citing official engagements at the Africa Forward Summit.
“Allow me to sincerely apologise for my absence during the Committee session on Monday as I was engaged in official duties at the just-concluded Africa Forward Summit,” she said.
Committee members argued that the tourism sector remains a key foreign exchange earner and requires sustained investment, warning that a “nil budget” for core agencies risks reversing gains made in Kenya’s global tourism competitiveness.
Innocent Mugabe strongly opposed the proposed allocation structure, insisting that SAGAs are central to sector performance. “SAGAs are key players in promotion of tourism. They deserve to be given more money and not to be allocated a nil budget,” he said.
Other MPs echoed concerns that underfunding could weaken destination marketing campaigns, reduce research capacity, and stall hospitality training programs at a time when regional competition for tourists is intensifying.
Sh17.9 Billion Allocated to Tourism Docket Amid Scrutiny
The committee was informed that the State Department for Tourism has been allocated Ksh 17.9 billion in the 2026/27 financial year.
Of this, Ksh 11.9 billion is earmarked for recurrent expenditure, while Ksh 6 billion is allocated for development projects.
However, legislators maintained that without direct allocations to implementing agencies, the budget framework risks becoming ineffective in achieving its strategic tourism objectives.
