Wetang’ula Defends Ruto’s Budget Day Absence: “No Such Thing as Crisis”

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula addressed President William Ruto’s absence during the presentation of the 2026/27 Budget Statement, saying the annual exercise remains Parliament’s responsibility and does not require the Head of State to be present.

Wetang’ula said Ruto was right to stay on an official trip abroad, adding that the Constitution and existing procedures do not mandate the president to attend the annual budget presentation by the National Treasury.

Speaking in the House ahead of the reading of the budget statement by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, the Speaker maintained that the budget process belongs to the National Assembly and should not be conflated with occasions when the president addresses Parliament.

“The President of the country is under no obligation to attend Parliament on the day when the Cabinet Secretary for Treasury and Planning comes not to read a budget but to make a statement and give to the country his revenue-raising measures,” Wetang’ula said.

His comments came as President Ruto continued his state visit to Finland, where he held talks with President Alexander Stubb and took part in economic and diplomatic engagements.

Wetang’ula said the president’s absence should not be viewed as unusual, arguing that budget-making is a parliamentary process carried out under the oversight of lawmakers.

“If the president chooses to come, which he can, he will sit in the speaker’s row. He will not sit where I’m sitting, where he would sit when he comes to address the nation,” he said.

Wetangula explained that the president occupies the speaker’s chair only during special joint sittings of Parliament, such as the State of the Nation Address, and not during budget presentations.

“He will not sit where I’m sitting, where he comes to sit to address the House. So there is no such thing as a crisis because the president is out of the country,” Wetang’ula added.

He further stressed that the Budget Statement remains the National Assembly’s preserve, where the Treasury Cabinet Secretary presents the government’s spending priorities, revenue measures, and overall economic strategy for the coming financial year.

“Budget is a preserve and an activity of the National Assembly exclusively,” he said.

The post Wetang’ula Defends Ruto’s Budget Day Absence: “No Such Thing as Crisis” appeared first on Nairobi Wire.