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{
    "id": 1000639,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1000639/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 1287,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1835,
        "legal_name": "Anthony Kimani Ichung'Wah",
        "slug": "anthony-kimani-ichungwah"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. If you look at the First Schedule which we tabled last week, and the one we have just tabled some of the key changes to note are in the security sector. This is because the Committee did reallocations especially in relation to the National Integrated Management System (NIMS). The Huduma Namba question of about Ksh500 million has since been ploughed back into the budget. Further, there are reallocations from operations and maintenance of the headquarters of the Inspector General’s Office to the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to help in operations and other areas. Under Agriculture, there is Kshs650 million related to (Electronic Voucher (E-Voucher) which has also been ploughed back and these are reallocations from the Ministry. There is an additional Kshs2.6 billion that came under the Ministry of Water of Irrigation money. This will go towards irrigation projects and part of this is also Kshs500 million, which as the Vice-Chair has referred, will go to Soin-Koru Dam to help in the mitigation of floods. The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) budget has also been affected. We have been appreciating this in view of the dire circumstances the economy is under the strain of falling revenues and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate that many MPs and, indeed, many people in Government will not travel this year and in the next financial year. Therefore, we took measures to sacrifice from the Parliamentary budget, a figure of about Ksh2.5 billion for foreign travel appreciating that the world is on lockdown and people will not travel. We ploughed back this money to help reduce the deficit. Also, because of the effects of post-COVID-19 in our own constituencies, Members have a 10 per cent increment in terms of salaries and wages for their staff in the constituency offices and also to support office operations at our constituency level. These captures most of the changes that will be reflected in the Schedule. This answers the questions raised by the two Members. As I second, first allow me to appreciate the support I have received in the last three years as the Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. My Vice-Chair has had an opportunity to move this last budget as part of succession planning. Any Member of this House is capable and has the capacity to lead a Committee and shepherd us through a budget process. I want to assure you that even as I leave office as Chair, we have a very able Committee. I must immensely thank the Committee Members who have supported me over the last three years, and also this House. I had the opportunity to interact with a majority of Members of this House through their Departmental Committees and we were able to balance the needs and resources available to us. I must thank the House for the support I have received over the last three years. I will still be in this House, will support and continue supporting the incoming Chair and the leadership of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and all other committees of this House. As the Vice-Chair has mentioned, this House is charged with a singular mandate of budgeting for this country. This is what the Minority Whip could not understand about writing budgets. It is good English to write a budget because this House is charged with the responsibility of doing this. As the representative of the people and elected leaders we hold the power of the purse. It is our duty and responsibility to provide strategic guidance and direction for the distribution of resources in a time like this when we are faced with a health pandemic that is a huge humanitarian and economic crisis. We need to distribute resources in a manner that mitigates the effects of COVID-19 on the economy and the livelihoods of the people we represent. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"
}