Senior officials from Kenya have completed a two-week workshop in London aimed at strengthening how the country manages the money it borrows.
Held from 16 to 27 February 2026 at the request of the Government of Kenya, the workshop brought together officials from the Central Bank of Kenya, the Office of the Controller of Budget, the Office of the Auditor General and the National Treasury.
Delivered by the Commonwealth Secretariat and development agency FSD Africa, the workshop focused on integrating the Commonwealth Meridian debt management software within Kenya’s financial management information system.
The integration will help ensure that government borrowing and repayments are recorded accurately and in real time. Reliable data can strengthen financial oversight and help officials make better decisions about how public funds are used for essential services and development projects.
During the workshop, participants examined how the Meridian system can help Kenya better track government borrowing and repayments, improving transparency and supporting informed decisions on public spending.
Sessions also looked at critical areas such as debt swaps - where debt can be adjusted in exchange for investment in development priorities - as well as liability management operations and using meridian to support public debt audit.
Debt for development
Dr Margaret Nyakang’o, Kenya’s Controller of Budget, described the training as an important step in strengthening how public borrowing is managed to support national development.
She said:
“Borrowing is a necessary part of our development, because our country cannot develop just from the tax revenue alone. So, it behoves us to use the money that we borrow wisely and put it into development activities so that we can generate economic activity that then leads to better development in the country.”
She pointed to the Meridian system as a tool that could strengthen evidence-based planning and improve how public resources are managed.
Dr Margaret Nyakang’o added: “The training will help the Kenyan team better plan and manage the public debt in an integrated, evidence-based manner so that we are able to make savings and direct resources to where they are required so that development can be realised.”
Dr Ruth Kattumuri, Senior Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Economic Development, Trade and Investment Directorate, said the initiative builds on decades of Commonwealth assistance provided to member countries on debt management.
She said: “This programme is critical not just in terms of the assistance provided to member countries but importantly for Kenya, as it continues to work on its economic reforms and continues its development journey.”
Henry Kyeremeh, Head of Sovereign Advisory at FSD Africa, said: “Taking officials through the roadmap of the Meridian software and how it integrates within existing Kenyan systems is about enhancing how debt is recorded and managed. Better recording of public debt enhances accountability, transparency and ownership, and ultimately helps protect the national purse for the people of Kenya.”
Currently, 45 countries use the Commonwealth Meridian software to manage government debt portfolios worth a combined USD 4 trillion. It forms part of the Commonwealth’s debt management programme, which includes advocacy and policy support for formulating debt management strategies.
