Kenya plans “brutal” cuts to spending, including on government officials’ overseas trips, in an effort to rein in the fiscal deficit, its acting finance minister said on Thursday.

The government in its annual budget in June set a target to bring the fiscal deficit down to 5.6 percent of gross domestic product for the 2019/20 financial year (July-June), from 7.7 percent  in 2018/19.

Critics have accused President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government of ramping up borrowing at a rate that will saddle future generations with too much debt. The government has defended the borrowing, saying it is required to fund infrastructure.

Acting Finance Minister Ukur Yatani said all non-core expenditure will be reviewed to ensure the government can make savings and fund its programmes without relying too much on debt.

“The cuts will be brutal and sustained… because the success of this government will depend on our dignity as a country to be self-sufficient,” he told a public meeting to plan the budget for the next fiscal year.

Source: IOL