The State Department for Internal Security and National Administration has already consumed nearly all of its development allocation for the current financial year, spending 85.7 percent of its budget within the first month.

Data from the National Treasury shows that the department, which falls under the Interior Ministry, spent Sh3.4 billion in July out of its annual development allocation of Sh3.97 billion.

This leaves it with only Sh570 million to sustain projects for the remaining eleven months, sparking concerns about how development programmes will be financed for the rest of the year.

Treasury records do not provide a breakdown of the areas where the funds were used, but the spending is believed to be linked to urgent security operations and priorities that required immediate attention.

The heavy outlay coincided with a period of civil unrest in July, which escalated on July 7 when youth groups threatened fresh nationwide protests.

In the previous financial year ending June 2025, the department had concentrated on constructing and operationalising new offices for regional, county and sub-county administrative units.

Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo had explained at the time that some administrative regions were too large and needed to be subdivided for easier coordination.

The department was also pursuing investments in paramilitary management and training programmes for National Government Administration Officers.

Treasury data further shows that the State Department for Internal Security was one of only two departments to draw from their development budgets in July.

The other was the State Department for Co-operatives, which utilised Sh400 million out of its Sh1.5 billion allocation, representing 27.2 percent.

This level of expenditure contrasts with a long-standing pattern flagged by the Controller of Budget, where ministries and counties have been criticised for low absorption of development funds caused by procurement bottlenecks and weak planning.

The sharp front-loading of spending also runs counter to usual fiscal practice, which encourages phased utilisation of funds to ensure implementation continues smoothly throughout the year.