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{
    "id": 1081372,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1081372/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 613,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kieni, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kanini Kega",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1813,
        "legal_name": "James Mathenge Kanini Kega",
        "slug": "james-mathenge-kanini-kega"
    },
    "content": "votes. The pending bills are under different categories. There are historical pending bills. The other pending bills accrued in the current financial year. There are also some pending bills as a result of court awards. There are other unpaid taxes due to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The Committee is concerned that the lack of sufficient provision for the aforementioned bills in the Second Supplementary Budget may further worsen the sky rocketing amount of pending bills that we have witnessed in the past. This is a matter that we have prosecuted with the Ministries and Departments, and we have said that, going forward, we have to reduce this issue of pending bills because there are too many Kenyans who are suffering out there. They provided services to the Government, Ministries and county governments but, unfortunately, their only mistake was to provide those services that they have not been paid for. The fourth one is absorption of development budget. The development budget has been increased by Kshs9 billion. The Committee, of course, is concerned that given the little time remaining to the coming financial year, the additional funds may not be fully utilised. This is a concern that has been coming out every year. Finally, the Committee raised a concern that despite the expenditure reductions, the fiscal deficit remains high at 8.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compared to the 7 per cent of the GDP in the original approved budget from the Financial Year 2020/2021. Given this sustained under-performance of the economy, it is likely that the revised revenue target of Kshs1.469 trillion may still not be met. As the Government continue to experience significant budget pressures, it is likely to increase its borrowing leading to higher debt levels. As I conclude on the issue of the recommendations, having considered the above matters, the Committee has made the following policy recommendations. First, we should be allowed adequate time for scrutiny. No supplementary budget should be submitted to Parliament after 30th April in any financial year. As I said earlier, the Supplementary Budget was brought to us on 9th June 2021, and we did not have sufficient time. The second one is that the Office of the Auditor-General should conduct a special forensic audit on all foreign finance projects so as to establish, among others, projects agreement status of the project’s implementation including disbursement, value for money, framework for repayment of loans and all that. Finally, the National Treasury should also develop a framework for engaging the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including Parliament and the Judiciary so as to have an inclusive process during the preparation of supplementary estimates. This framework should be submitted to the National Assembly by 30th August 2021. Since I see that my time is up, I want to finalise on financial recommendations. Having considered the above matters, the Committee recommends that this House resolves to approve, one, the Supplementary Estimates No.2 for the Financial Year 2020/2021 to be finalised as per the attached Schedule. Two…"
}