NAIROBI, Kenya, May 21 — Parliament of Kenya has announced that the 23rd Annual National Prayer Breakfast will be held next Thursday, May 28, at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, even as a constitutional petition challenging the use of public funds for the event remains pending before the High Court.In a statement, Parliament said the annual interdenominational gathering will begin at 7am and will be attended by President William Ruto alongside other invited dignitaries.The main event will be preceded by a Women Leaders’ Convention and Convocation scheduled for Wednesday, May 27.“Parliament of Kenya is scheduled to host the 23rd Annual National Prayer Breakfast next week, Thursday, May 28, 2026,” the statement read.The announcement comes months after Nairobi-based lawyer Lempaa Suyianka filed a constitutional petition seeking to compel Parliament of Kenya and related offices to disclose the amount of public funds spent on the 2025 National Prayer Breakfast and to block the use of taxpayer money for the 2026 edition.The petition, filed before the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of the High Court, argues that refusal to disclose expenditure details violates constitutional provisions on transparency, accountability, and access to information.Suyianka said he first submitted a Freedom of Information request on March 13, 2025, to the Clerk of the National Assembly seeking details on spending related to the 2025 event.After the request was declined, he followed up with additional letters to the clerks of both the National Assembly and Senate in June 2025.Court battle According to court documents, the Commission on Administrative Justice later intervened in July 2025, urging parliamentary offices to release the requested information.However, Suyianka alleges that the Parliamentary Service Commission only confirmed the event was included in annual expenditure estimates tabled before Parliament under Article 221 of the Constitution, without disclosing the actual amount spent.In his petition, he argues that continued refusal to release expenditure records violates Article 35 on access to information, Article 10 on national values and governance, and Article 201 on prudent use of public finances.He further contends that Parliament’s involvement in organizing the prayer breakfast undermines the doctrine of separation of powers and constitutes imprudent use of public resources.The suit also accuses the Commission on Administrative Justice of failing to fully enforce its constitutional mandate by not compelling disclosure of the requested information.Suyianka is seeking declarations that the respondents violated the Constitution, orders compelling disclosure of the 2025 expenditure, and injunctions restraining the use of public funds for the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast.The High Court is expected to schedule the matter for hearing in the coming weeks.The National Prayer Breakfast was institutionalized as an annual parliamentary event in June 2023 when National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula announced it would henceforth be held every last Thursday of May.“As we move into the future, the National Prayer Breakfast will be held on the last Thursday of May and will be a key parliamentary event,” Wetang’ula said during the 2023 edition in Nairobi.Traditionally, the event brings together political leaders, diplomats, clergy, and members of the business community for prayers and reflections on national unity, leadership, and governance.