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{
    "id": 1580012,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1580012/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 3932,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "loan, is decreasing from Ksh173.8 billion to Ksh58.97 billion, representing a reduction of Ksh114.87 billion. This means an additional fiscal space of Ksh114 billion has been created. We need to implement a policy that ensures this fiscal space, created by the reduction in debt stock, is used for development expenditures so that it does not end up funding the repayment of other debts or current spending. I urge the Committee to ensure that the National Treasury develops a policy to ensure that each fiscal space created, such as the one outlined in this Report of Ksh114 billion, is reflected in the development side. Secondly is the issue of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) allocation, which we discussed in this Budget. I noticed that both Supplementary Estimates II and Supplementary Estimates III have deliberately not provided resources for the NG-CDF allocation. Therefore, the onus has been left to this House to fill that gap. In Supplementary Estimates III, it was Ksh12 billion, and in Supplementary Estimates II, I think it was Ksh24 billion. This means that instead of the Departmental Committees— last time the Budget was done by the Liaison Committee, and this time by the Budget and Appropriations Committee – trying to scrutinise the whole Budget to ensure that the allocations are on priority projects, they focus on trying to fill that Ksh12 billion gap. The risk is that we now fail to apply our minds to overseeing the rest of the Budget. We need to send very good communication and ensure that by the time these Estimates are tabled in the House, funds that are ring-fenced, either through the Constitution or through an Act of Parliament, are sufficiently provided for. This way, the Committee will have no business finding resources to fill that gap. As it stands, we seem to concentrate only on that particular area at the expense of ensuring that the Budget is appropriated fairly and transparently according to the country's priority areas. With that, I beg to agree and support the Report. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}