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National Treasury offices in Nairobi. [File,Standard]
Kenya devotes nearly three times more government revenue to external debt repayments than to health, according to a new report that argues the International Monetary Fund (IMF) continues to promote austerity policies that limit investment in public services.
The report, Still Cooking with a Failed Recipe, released on Tuesday, analysed 29 IMF documents across 11 countries between February 2022 and February 2025.
It found that 73 per cent of IMF recommendations focused on fiscal consolidation, including spending cuts and wage bill restrictions, while only a fraction supported expanding public services or social protection.
