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{
"id": 1525848,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525848/?format=api",
"text_counter": 235,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Mbadi",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Treasury and Economic Planning",
"speaker": {
"id": 110,
"legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
"slug": "john-mbadi"
},
"content": "With the affected State Departments, we are conducting a review of our existing budget allocations to prioritise funding for essential services in sectors such as health, education, governance and food security to be included in the budget estimates of supplementary budget three, if it becomes very necessary. If this funding stops abruptly and there are critical areas, we cannot wait for the 2025/2026 budget. Likewise, county governments are also expected to act accordingly to ensure uninterrupted service delivery for devolved functions. We are also engaging with other development partners to explore opportunities for additional funding and technical assistance to plug the gap. For instance, the Universal Health Care (UHC) agenda reforms under the Social Health Authority (SHA). Vulnerable populations will gain access to a broad spectrum of benefits, including screening, dialysis, kidney transplants, essential medications and vital medical equipment and plug the gap by some of the interventions that were being performed by USAID. The other question was that, could the Cabinet Secretary also outline the Government's long-term plans to reduce reliance on foreign aid and ensure sustainable financing for critical programmes in sectors such as education, health, food security and governance? This is my response- Like you have observed, this administrative action has exposed our vulnerabilities and calls for concerted efforts to address them to ensure Kenyan self- reliance. Our vision 2030 overarching goal is to transform Kenya into a newly industrialising middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all Kenyans or citizens. The journey to self-reliance requires broad-based economic development. The Government is implementing policies, programmes, projects and interventions in the bottom-up economic transformation agenda to enhance agricultural transformation, support macro, small and medium enterprises, provide affordable housing and settlement, achieve UHC and support the growth of digital superhighway and creative economy for job creation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in this year's Budget Policy Statement (BPS), which is titled Consolidating Gains under Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda for inclusive green growth, we have outlined the fiscal consolidation measures to reduce public debt vulnerabilities while providing fiscal space to deliver essential public goods and services. Fiscal consolidation will be supported by concerted expenditure rationalisation and revenue mobilisation efforts. This will bring public debt on the downwards path, consistent with Kenyan's debt anchor. To boost revenue, emphasis will be placed on a combination of tax administrative and tax policy reforms that include; strengthening tax administration for enhanced compliance through expansion of the tax base, minimizing tax expenditures, leveraging on technology to revolutionize tax processes, sealing revenue loopholes and enhancing the efficiency of tax system and focusing on non-tax revenues that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) can raise through the services they offer to the public. The Government will also sustain efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency and a revenue mobilization path guided by the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy that makes tax regime more efficient, equitable and progressive. These The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}