DP Kindiki’s Wife Under Fire for Sh44.5M Secret Spending

NAIROBI, Kenya — Just as the dust was settling on the latest political shakeups, a new financial scandal has emerged involving the Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President. According to a scathing report from the Controller of Budget (CoB), Margaret Nyakang’o, the office headed by Dr. Joyce Njagi (Kindiki’s wife) expended Sh44.52 million in the first half of the 2025/2026 financial year, despite having zero budget allocation from Parliament.

The revelation has sent shockwaves through the National Assembly, as the spending appears to directly defy President William Ruto’s 2024 directive to scrap the budgets for the offices of the First Lady and the spouses of the Deputy President and Prime Cabinet Secretary. Those austerity measures were implemented following the historic “Gen Z” protests and the withdrawal of the 2024 Finance Bill. However, the CoB’s National Government Budget Implementation Review report reveals that these offices may still be operating “under the radar” by drawing funds through the main Deputy President’s office

Critics and legal analysts have been quick to point out that the office of the spouse is not formally recognized in the Kenyan Constitution for the use of public funds. Under the Public Finance Management Act, any expenditure not appropriated by the National Assembly is considered a breach of law. The fact that the Deputy President’s office overshot its recurrent budget of Sh2.97 billion by the midpoint of the fiscal year has only added fuel to the fire, with many asking how millions can be “found” for non-essential roles while critical sectors like education and health face severe cuts.

While some reports suggest a portion of the funds may have been used for renovations and administrative upkeep at official residences, the lack of a clear paper trail has ignited a fierce debate on fiscal discipline. Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee are already calling for the summoning of accounting officers to explain why taxpayers are still footing the bill for offices that were publicly declared “defunded.”

This latest controversy places Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in a difficult position as he attempts to navigate his new role while maintaining the administration’s narrative of “bottom-up” economic transformation. As the public demands transparency, the “ghost budget” of Sh44.5 million stands as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle between political perks and constitutional governance in Kenya.