MPs increase budget by Sh80.7 billion

 

MPs on Thursday approved Sh80.7 billion extra spending for the government in budget shortfalls for the current financial year.

The lawmakers approved an increment of the total recurrent expenditure for Financial Year 2020-21 by Sh19.1 billion and development spending by Sh61.6 billion.

MPs are the biggest gainers in the mini-budget approved by the National Assembly with the provision of Sh23 billion for the NG-CDF. There is a stand-off over late disbursements to the kitty.

Members after getting the allocation said the next step would be to ensure the amounts are fully disbursed to the various constituency kitties.

In the provisions, Parliament adjusted its budget to release Sh2.9 billion, Sh1.5 billion being for completing the office block it has constructed since 2017 and for recurrent expenditure.

Eldas MP Adan Keynan, a PSC commissioner, said the completion of the block would save taxpayers Sh600 million in rent paid by Parliament every year.

The mini budget increases the Consolidated Fund Services expenditure by Sh45 billion, an adjustment Treasury attributed to the need for interventions on Covid19.

Other reasons are for payment of pending bills, salary adjustments which were not catered to in the budget, and changes in projects by development partners.

Transport department has been allocated Sh35 billion – for rail transport (SGR), Sh1.9 billion for Kenya Airways; while Energy ministry will get an increase of Sh12.5 billion.

The other gainer is the Teachers Service Commission which is poised for Sh7.9 billion to hire more teachers to cater to shortages in secondary schools in the wake of the Covid19 situation.

Agriculture sector has also reaped big with the allocation of Sh12.9 billion for maize subsidies with Defence ministry and NIS getting Sh6.8 billion and Sh6.5 billion respectively.

An extra Sh5.3 billion would go to the Executive Office of the President whereas the Foreign Affairs ministry has its budget increased by Sh1.2 billion; Sh803 million for the IEBC; Sh457 million for the Auditor General; and Sh280 million for the office of the DPP.

The Sports department is the biggest loser with its budget reduced by Sh10.8 billion while the Tourism department has lost Sh2.5 billion; and National Youth Service (Sh2 billion).The National Treasury is losing Sh4.6 billion; Public Service (Sh2.4 billion); Devolution (Sh1.5 billion); University Education (Sh3.75 billion); Basic education (Sh1.4 billion), and Fisheries (Sh1.4 billion).Majority leader Amos Kimunya asked MPs at the Budget committee to work with the Treasury further in order to ensure the figures add up.

“Budgeting is always a push and pull with lots of amendments coming from committees and Treasury. With my keen audit eye, there is chance we could be moving money from an account that has been exhausted,” the Kipipiri MP said.“Let the committee and Treasury go through this with a toothcomb so that we don’t approve the mini-budget in vain.”

Uriri MP Mark Nyamitta said the committee noticed a continued breach of Article 223 and asked that committees ensure compliance.The lawmaker cited a challenge with the continued support for state-owned corporations – some non-performing or owed by another government agency.

He said most of the requests by the departmental committees were met in the review, saying Treasury be reminded that budget making is a preserve of the National Assembly.Some lawmakers pointed out that some new items were introduced in the budget against the law – which Treasury grounded on unforeseen circumstances.  BY THE STAR