Kenya: Seventh and Eighth Reviews Under the Extended Fund Facility and Extended Credit Facility Arrangements, Requests for Reduction of Access, Augmentation and Rephasing of Access Under the Arrangements, Modifications of Performance Criteria, Waiver

Kenya is confronted with the need to chart a course that attends directly to the recent public outcry. The widespread protests that started in June and resulted in tragic loss of lives and injuries were triggered by the authorities’ efforts to correct a large tax revenue shortfall in FY2023/24 through revenue raising proposals in the 2024 Finance Bill, some of which were unpopular or seen as regressive. The protests forced the President to withdraw the Bill, introduce significant spending cuts through a Supplementary Budget in July, and reconstitute the Cabinet in August. Persistent difficulties in mobilizing revenue coupled with spending rigidities have led to a further accumulation of pending bills, and necessitated deep cuts in development spending, with potential for knock-on effects on growth and debt sustainability. Against this backdrop, preceded by large exogenous shocks (COVID-19, global developments impacting import price and affordable access to market finance, and severe multi-season droughts), the authorities face a complex and difficult balancing act: meeting critical spending needs for priority areas (social programs, health, and education), servicing large upcoming debt obligations, and boosting domestic revenues. Earlier in the year, Kenya addressed the exceptional balance of payments (BoP) needs associated with repayment of the June 2024 US$2 billion Eurobond, boosting market confidence that helped strengthen the shilling and build reserves. Meanwhile, fiscal pressures continue, including from uncertainty surrounding the constitutionality of the 2023 Finance Act on which the Supreme Court’s decision is awaited.