Kenya cannot afford to be a welfare state, says Mbadi

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Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. [File,Standard]

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi on Tuesday, May 26 defended the proposed Finance Bill 2026 before a hostile crowd at Nairobi’s Jeevanjee Gardens, saying Kenya lacked the resources to operate as a welfare state.

Addressing traders, boda boda riders, students and activists at a public forum organised under the Bunge la Mwananchi platform, Mbadi said the government was focused on stabilising the economy without introducing punitive taxes.

“We cannot be a welfare nation because we do not have the economic muscle to be one,” Mbadi said.