National security has taken one of the biggest shares in the 2025/26 Budget after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi allocated Sh464.9 billion to the sector, marking an increase of Sh87.4 billion from the previous year.

The new funding will go into police operations, intelligence services, prison management, internal administration, and crime-fighting infrastructure such as forensic labs and mobility tools.

This makes it the highest recorded allocation to security in the last three financial years.

The National Police Service has been allocated Sh125.7 billion, the largest portion under the security docket.

The National Intelligence Service will receive Sh51.4 billion, while Sh38.1 billion has been set aside for Prison Services. Internal Security and National Administration will get Sh32.5 billion.

Mbadi has proposed Sh10 billion for leasing police motor vehicles and another Sh3.6 billion for the police modernisation programme.

An additional Sh1.2 billion has been allocated for the construction and upgrade of national forensic facilities. “A stable and secure environment fosters investment, trade and overall economic growth,” Mbadi said.

In the 2024/25 Budget, the total allocation to security stood at Sh377.5 billion. Defence received Sh173 billion, the National Police Service Sh110.6 billion, the Intelligence Service Sh46.3 billion, and the Kenya Prisons Service Sh32.7 billion.

During that year, Sh13.9 billion went into leasing police vehicles and Sh918.4 million was allocated to the development of the National Forensic Laboratory.

In the earlier 2023/24 Budget, the sector had received Sh338.2 billion.

The Kenya Defence Forces got Sh144.9 billion, followed by Sh98.6 billion to the police, Sh44.3 billion to intelligence, and Sh31.3 billion to prisons.

The budget also provided Sh8.8 billion for vehicle leasing, Sh500 million for equipment upgrades, Sh856 million for equipping the forensic laboratory and Sh534 million for KDF housing.

This year’s Budget is themed “Stimulating Sustainable Economic Recovery for Improved Livelihoods, Job Creation, Business and Industrial Prosperity in line with BETA.”