Ministry needs Sh4.3bn for President Ruto’s culture agenda
Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo told the Sports and Culture Committee in Parliament that most of the planned work has no allocation in the 2025/26 budget.
The Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage is short of Sh4.3 billion needed to carry out several directives issued by President William Ruto in the coming financial year, raising questions about how it will meet its growing responsibilities.
Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo told the Sports and Culture Committee in Parliament that most of the planned work has no allocation in the 2025/26 budget.
The largest share of the gap, Sh3.05 billion, is meant for building new arts infrastructure and repairing existing ones such as theatres, art galleries and music halls.
Another Sh202 million is required to expand the Ushanga Kenya Initiative, a project focused on traditional beadwork that is being taken from seven counties to ten under presidential instruction.
According to the CS, this expansion is aimed at boosting the commercial value of the craft and improving livelihoods.
Cheptumo said the ministry is also expected to construct a perimeter wall at the Gedi National Monument in Kilifi County, at a cost of Sh25 million. All these projects were directed by the President but are yet to receive funding.
The ministry’s Principal Secretary, Ummi Bashir, painted a grim picture of the situation, saying they are expected to deliver on key national tasks without proper financing.
"Some of the projects that are critical and have no allocation in the proposed financial year 2025/26 include Sh150 million for the establishment of a licensing, monitoring, collection and distribution system of royalties to artists under the Kenya Copyright Board," she told the committee.
She added that another Sh40 million is urgently needed to complete the Kiswahili Bill and help set up the National Kiswahili Council of Kenya.
Bashir said that due to low funding, the department has been unable to meet its targets and deliver services expected by the public and the leadership.
She called for an urgent review of budget priorities to ensure that the ministry can respond effectively to the President’s directives.
