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{
    "id": 1353372,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1353372/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 238,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Navakholo, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Emmanuel Wangwe",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the Report on the Consolidated Fund Services Expenditures for the Supplementary Estimates No.1 of Financial Year 2023/2024. Before I even go to the substantive debate, allow me to thank the 12th Parliament for having thought it fit to come up with this very good Committee that now brings out issues of Consolidated Fund Services expenditures as a stand-alone report. My colleagues who have joined us in the 13th Parliament might think that it is normal. This used to be an annexure in the main report. We never used to debate it. It is a good thing that the 12th Parliament thought it wise to have it. Indeed, I appreciate what happened. Allow me to appreciate the Committee for highlighting the salient issues that touch on the Consolidated Fund Services Expenditure. I want to be very particular and appreciate the level at which both the microeconomic and macroeconomic features are playing into the market today. We looked at the President’s Speech and he confirmed to the House and the nation at large that he intends to settle the Eurobond. What are we trying to look at? It has a figure of about Ksh241 billion. In these Supplementary Estimates, the Eurobond has been allocated Ksh330 billion, which is a big increase. That means we must see some good light at the Consolidated Fund Services Expenditures, so that we can tell where we are going. I appreciate the Committee, especially for considering it wise to tell Kenyans what is happening to the expenditures on salaries. Look at what the media talks about. It talks of some budgets which do not exist and some salaries which are beyond what has been budgeted for. The Committee considers it wise to invite the Office of the Auditor-General, which is the only institution that can give us the true numbers and ascertain whether they are negative or positive. He can look at the figure of not only for this financial year, but for the last five years and tell us whether they reflect what was budgeted for. He can compare and contrast the various sets of figures. Hon. Speaker, we need to look at what is happening to the Consolidated Fund Services Expenditure. Where are our funds going? They are getting depleted out of the forex. The Principal Secretary for the National Treasury, in the recent past, said that the Kenya shilling is unable to stabilise because it was protected in the previous regimes. He is a State person, and he is a very educated doctor. We thank him for that. However, I invite him to also make sure that he puts in place measures to protect our shilling, which is the only thing we know. He should not let it continue with the free fall trajectory. Let it be resistant, stable and trade among other exchange currencies in the world where we can appreciate. If we allow the shilling to continue with the free fall, it will be too bad. This is an issue that should concern us, as Kenyans. We invite him to the table to look at it and not allow the shilling to fall further."
}