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{
"id": 1623112,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623112/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4539,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We understand that Hon. Mutuse is a first-term Member, but these things are usually done at the start of the Motion. I will try to be brief to save time, although this will depend on individual Members. I will be brief. I would like to appreciate the Departmental Committees for their presentations and the Budget and Appropriations Committee for their good work. Preparing this Budget was not easy due to the very restrictive fiscal space. On that basis, we are ready to see what can be prioritised in this Budget. As I debate this Budget, I want to focus on what must be done for it to make sense to Kenyans. And unless this is done, Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is likely to have minimal impact on the lives of Kenyans. The first thing that must be done is to ensure that Exchequer releases are done in time. As long as we have a Budget that is not supported by timely Exchequer releases, it will be a waste of time. Over time, we have been implementing Budgets at very low percentages due to a challenging environment in terms of exchequer releases. The second thing that must be done for this Budget to make sense is for this House, where we all sit, to ensure that recommendations from the Office of the Auditor-General are implemented. Through the Public Accounts Committee, we have many recommendations that have been adopted by this House, but have never been implemented. As a result, Accounting Officers continue to take this House for a ride because, as long as those recommendations are not enforced, they will continue doing the same funny things every day. The third thing that must be implemented or enforced is the issue of public debt. During this year’s Budget discussions, it was reported that the country had paid Ksh6.7 billion over the last three years in commitment fees. The country pays commitment fees for undrawn loans. That means we have signed for loans, but we have not drawn them. As a result, we have spent Ksh6.7 billion. You can imagine what this amount would do in terms of project 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": 1623113,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623113/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4540,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "implementation. For examinations that were not factored in, we provided Ksh5.9 million, and that matter is now settled. However, if we consider the Ksh6.7 billion, we would still have a change. Another crucial aspect that must be addressed for this budget to make sense to Kenyans is land compensation. The Budget and Appropriations Committee has provided Ksh4 billion for land compensation. Many Kenyans have donated their land for public goods and services and have not been compensated. For this Budget to make sense to these Kenyans, we must ensure that we provide enough resources to compensate them for their lands. I totally agree with what Hon. Elachi said regarding the issue of corruption in this country. During the debate on this budget, the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives indicated that the accounting officer in charge of the Hustler Fund had informed them that they could not recover Ksh5 billion that had been disbursed to Kenyans. How dare you add resources to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) where resources have not been accounted for? If this budget is to make sense, we must ensure that the issue of misappropriation is resolved. The other thing that must be done, if this budget is to make sense, is the issue of the Equalisation Fund. Since 2010, this Fund has been budgeted for year in and year out, but these resources are never released to the implementing departments in the rural areas. Therefore, the essence of the Equalisation Fund is being compromised because the funds are not being disbursed as expected. Another crucial aspect that must be addressed for this budget to make sense is the issue of public participation. The members of this Committee went out to Kenyans and received a list of projects that the various counties expect to be done in the Financial Year. However, in the 2024/2025 financial year, the allocation for public participation was reallocated through a supplementary budget. This budget cannot make sense if we continue entertaining such situations. Kenyans proposed the allocation towards public participation, and therefore, it must be respected. The National Treasury has no authority to touch that money. Another thing that must be addressed for this budget to make sense is the issue of pending bills. As Hon. Elachi said, unless we clear the pending bills, Kenyans will continue lamenting. These pending bills belong to Kenyans who have provided goods and services to the Government. It is high time we cleared them. There is also the issue of the verification committees, which, in my opinion, is a deliberate move to delay the clearing of pending bills. These verification committees must move with speed to ensure that we clear the pending bills. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I would also like to focus on the issue of privatisation. From where I sit, there is still room for improvement on the projects and programmes that have gone into this budget. We might do better if we take slightly more time so that we get our prioritisation right. In my opinion, we are not yet at 100 per cent, there is still room of about 30 per cent. If we improve that 30 per cent, we can easily do with minimal borrowing. I remember the Leader of the Majority Party said that we borrow about Ksh878 billion which is 4.5 per cent of the GDP. If we prioritise well, we could easily reduce this deficit to about 3 per cent. The less we borrow, the better for this country, because borrowing has squeezed our fiscal space to a level that prevents us from undertaking any development. My final point is that the Auditor-General reported that a third of the budget, which amounts to approximately a trillion, cannot be accounted for. We are borrowing Ksh900 billion, but a trillion cannot be accounted for. You can do the mathematics and get answers. If we achieve zero wastage, we will have approximately Ksh100 billion to spare without borrowing. Hon. Temporary Speaker, thank you, I submit and support. 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": 1623114,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623114/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4541,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " We will now proceed with Hon. Lesuuda, followed by Hon. Muchira, then Hon. Bowen, and finally Hon. Tongoyo. Hon. Lesuuda, proceed. Take minimal time so that everybody gets a chance."
},
{
"id": 1623115,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623115/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4542,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Samburu West, KANU",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Naisula Lesuuda",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity. I will do my best to take the shortest time possible by not repeating what my colleagues have said. I sit on the Budget and Appropriations Committee. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate our Chairman, Hon. Samuel Atandi, who chaired the sessions for this Budget. I also congratulate the former Chairperson, Hon. Ndindi, who chaired the Committee during a very difficult time, when the country inherited empty coffers as well as the collapsed Finance Bill, 2024. I congratulate him and thank him for his work as the Chairperson. I also thank Hon. Atandi for his good stewardship during this Budget process."
},
{
"id": 1623116,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623116/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4543,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Samburu West, KANU",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Naisula Lesuuda",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I want to speak about a number of issues. First, Kenyans had a number of fears regarding this Budget, one of them being the issue of examination fees. A Kenyan in one of the areas we visited asked me if we would support examination fees in the Budget or if they should transfer their child to a private school. We assured them that there will be money to support examinations this year."
},
{
"id": 1623117,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623117/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4544,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Farah Maalim) left the Chair]"
},
{
"id": 1623118,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623118/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4545,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Peter Kaluma) took the Chair]"
},
{
"id": 1623119,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623119/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4546,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Samburu West, KANU",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Naisula Lesuuda",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I would like to inform policymakers that when they change policies, they should do so thoughtfully, so that this House does not reinstate previous policies because the new ones are not viable. When Kenyans make noise about examination costs, you should not tell them to take their children to private schools. Before you create a policy, conduct public participation before we come up with the budget. Such policy changes cause anxiety even for the current government."
},
{
"id": 1623120,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623120/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4547,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Samburu West, KANU",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Naisula Lesuuda",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Policies are accompanied by resources. A person should not just wake up one morning and introduce examination fees. Kenyans then make noise, and the person removes the examination fees and tells parents to take their children to private schools if they can afford it. We should carefully consider the policies we make so that they do not make Kenyans anxious. Kenyans should note that the budget now stands at Ksh4.2 trillion, with key sectors factored in. One of the key sectors that has been factored is the cash programme for elderly persons. We always get messages as Members when the cash for elderly persons is released. A total of Ksh25.7 billion has been set aside for the elderly in this financial year. Around Ksh1.5 billion has been set aside for persons living with disabilities. A total of Ksh9.1 billion has also been set aside for orphans and vulnerable children. It is noteworthy that we are taking care of the most vulnerable in our society and communities."
},
{
"id": 1623121,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623121/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4548,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Samburu West, KANU",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Naisula Lesuuda",
"speaker": null,
"content": "About Ksh6.1 billion has been set aside for medical personnel working under the Universal Health Cover (UHC) programme, especially those who worked very hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. That money has been set aside to employ them under permanent and pensionable terms. I hope that they will all be onboarded by the end of the year. We have also set aside Ksh 2.3 billion for livestock insurance and Ksh 1.57 billion for the Kenya Livestock Commercialisation Programme. My colleague, Hon. Makali, talked about the Equalisation Fund, which we must have an honest conversation about as a House. We will soon be dealing with a third policy. We must agree that delocalising the Equalisation Fund to the ward level is not working. There was a reason why certain counties were listed in the Constitution. I know that in a few years, many of us will be asking why the Equalisation Fund is not working. It is not working because we 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."
}
]
}