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{
"id": 1575992,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575992/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3928,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Teso South, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mary Emaase",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support the Report, but I wish to make some observations. As a House and as a country, we can certainly do better than this. We are witnessing an excessive number of supplementary budgets. Supplementary budgets should only be used for essential adjustments to address unexpected expenditures. However, many of the costs we are adjusting were not unexpected, such as reductions in the energy sector and the National Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF). We have seen reductions in funding for various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), including education capitation and university funding. These were already known expenditures that should have been accounted for and, therefore, should not be subject to adjustment under supplementary budgets. Furthermore, the reductions in capital expenditure, stemming from an inability to generate projected revenues, highlight the need for MDAs to adopt realistic projections to prevent unnecessary adjustments that negatively impact implementation. The uncertainty surrounding MDAs cannot continue. We must reduce the frequency of supplementary budgets going forward to ensure that Kenyans receive the services they need without affecting functions that are already budgeted for. For instance, many constituencies across the country did not receive their electricity allocations due to various adjustments made in the last financial year. This issue arose partly because the Finance Bill, which would have provided funding, collapsed. I call for those constituencies that did not receive funding for last-mile connectivity to be considered for affirmative action. Had we had the opportunity as committees to scrutinise these matters, we would have insisted on maintaining those allocations affected in Supplementary III. Thank you."
},
{
"id": 1575993,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575993/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3929,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you. Now, let us hear from the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning."
},
{
"id": 1575994,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575994/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3930,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I commend the Committee for the good Report and agree with them on one of the recommendations. You will notice that the stock of debt, particularly the Trade Development Bank (TDB) syndicated"
},
{
"id": 1575995,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575995/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3931,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1575996,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575996/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3932,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": "loan, is decreasing from Ksh173.8 billion to Ksh58.97 billion, representing a reduction of Ksh114.87 billion. This means an additional fiscal space of Ksh114 billion has been created. We need to implement a policy that ensures this fiscal space, created by the reduction in debt stock, is used for development expenditures so that it does not end up funding the repayment of other debts or current spending. I urge the Committee to ensure that the National Treasury develops a policy to ensure that each fiscal space created, such as the one outlined in this Report of Ksh114 billion, is reflected in the development side. Secondly is the issue of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) allocation, which we discussed in this Budget. I noticed that both Supplementary Estimates II and Supplementary Estimates III have deliberately not provided resources for the NG-CDF allocation. Therefore, the onus has been left to this House to fill that gap. In Supplementary Estimates III, it was Ksh12 billion, and in Supplementary Estimates II, I think it was Ksh24 billion. This means that instead of the Departmental Committees— last time the Budget was done by the Liaison Committee, and this time by the Budget and Appropriations Committee – trying to scrutinise the whole Budget to ensure that the allocations are on priority projects, they focus on trying to fill that Ksh12 billion gap. The risk is that we now fail to apply our minds to overseeing the rest of the Budget. We need to send very good communication and ensure that by the time these Estimates are tabled in the House, funds that are ring-fenced, either through the Constitution or through an Act of Parliament, are sufficiently provided for. This way, the Committee will have no business finding resources to fill that gap. As it stands, we seem to concentrate only on that particular area at the expense of ensuring that the Budget is appropriated fairly and transparently according to the country's priority areas. With that, I beg to agree and support the Report. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
},
{
"id": 1575997,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575997/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3933,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng'",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you. There being no further interest in this matter, I would like to request the Mover to reply. Mover. Just a minute, Hon. Rindikiri. I had said that if you wanted to work on this, you should put your card in the intervention, and you did not. Hon. Rindikiri, you have three minutes. Have a say on this."
},
{
"id": 1575998,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575998/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3934,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Buuri, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The Report from the Committee urges the Government to consider implementing a national liability management policy. This is very key. The Policy will address the usage, costs, and sustainability of the debts that we have. More importantly, that Policy is also going to address the limit of these debts. The problems we have now are due to the lack of such a policy that sets the guidelines. When we passed the Tax Policy in this country, things started to shape up in terms of how tax management would be handled. In the absence of a national liability management policy, the National Treasury has the leeway to conduct debt management activities as it sees fit. Therefore, I urge that this Policy be put in place immediately. It will establish guidelines and measures aimed at reducing debt servicing. We have a very serious problem. How are the loans being used? Currently, we do not know the costs of various debts. We need to determine whether to pursue short-term or long- term debt and what we will do with the loans. Without such a policy, that is why you see money not being allocated to some issues in the Budget. I agree with the Committee's Report that there is a need to have a national liability management policy. It will clearly outline the guidelines on how we will manage the debts of this Republic."
},
{
"id": 1575999,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1575999/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3935,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Buuri, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1576000,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1576000/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3936,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Buuri, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
},
{
"id": 1576001,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1576001/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3937,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you. Mover, proceed."
}
]
}