This year's Madaraka Day celebrations cost the taxpayers Ksh70 million, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has disclosed.
The PS made the revelations on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, while appearing on Citizen TV's News Night show.
Kibicho, who plays a central role in organising national celebrations, however, noted that the budget is considerably much lower than other similar events.
Madaraka Day Budget
The PS revealed that most of the monies will go to local performers invited to entertain guests at the event being held at the newly refurbished Uhuru Gardens grounds.
“Tomorrow is cheap we are not doing any infrastructure development. There is more of paying allowances to the people who are coming to sing and perform. It will roughly be between Ksh60 and 70 million,” Kibicho disclosed.
While promising lots of performance from the military, Kibicho welcomed Kenyans from all walks of life to the event.
The Wednesday, June 1 event is unique because it's President Uhuru Kenyatta's last national celebration, hence the fanfare.
“Tomorrow will be a bit different because it will be a little heavy on military display. You must show your citizens that you are ready to protect them against any aggression and that is why you see in any of these celebrations there is a lot of showcasing of military powers," noted Kibicho.
“We will also be showcasing military hardware because the KDF needs to say goodbye to the Commander-in-Chief because it will probably be the last day he will conduct a national day," he said adding that more than 30,000 Kenyans are expected at the function.
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Wananchi, leaders and dignitaries arrive at the new Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Museum for the 59th Madaraka Day national celebration whose key highlight will be President Uhuru Kenyatta's Address to the Nation. #MadarakaDay2022 pic.twitter.com/6dErKnMb9B— State House Kenya (@StateHouseKenya) June 1, 2022
