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{
"id": 1613533,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613533/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4573,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Secondly, on a general principle of budget, it can also be used as an economic stimulus package – how you distribute the money. Many times, you hear people say: Yes, the economy is growing, and we can see the numbers, but then people still tell you they are not feeling it in their pockets. Probably, the money has been put in areas that do not spur economic growth. Areas like building more infrastructure, yet, the money is not coming into the expenditure issues. Therefore, you have a problem. Why I say this is an economic stimulus budget, we have increased resources in agriculture. When you have resources in agriculture, you are talking about productivity. When you are talking about productivity, you are talking about stimulating the economy. We have resources that are going into building markets. When you have resources that go into building markets, you are encouraging and anchoring the economy to be market- driven. This budget has two principles that have been achieved. One, using a budget to equalise a country. Secondly, it is an economic stimulus package to allow the economy to flourish and put money in the pockets of people. I want to assure Kenyans that, having looked at this budget and gone through it, money will start flowing into their pockets if it is properly implemented. The other question that comes to my mind is the implementation of a budget. You can have very good figures. You can have a very good budget. But when resources are distributed and released, you realise that the money may not be released into the areas that have been marginalised for many years. It may be released to those other areas. This is a whole-year programme. In the first quarter, where is the money going? Second quarter, where is the money going? Third quarter, where is the money going? Fourth quarter, where is the money going? That is very important. And because we are a country that always has a deficit in the budget, we come to this principle where you look at priorities because resources are scarce. The question is: Who then bears the deficits? I hear people celebrating, a road has been put in my place, or this has been put in my place. That is not enough. Will the actual expenditure of the money be available for that road to be done? Some roads were budgeted for last year, but have not been completed. Some programmes and projects were budgeted for the previous budget, but they were not done because of priority, deficit and less revenue coming in. This is a principle that we must guard against, that when the money is little, only certain areas benefit. Although the project is in the budget, certain areas benefit. I also want to note certain areas where money has been put. For example, a lot of money has gone into the blue economy. We know that if the issues of the blue economy are properly implemented, and we have a good legal regime and good laws in the blue economy area, we are likely to benefit as a country. We are likely to spur growth. With the blue economy, something interesting is about it. You do not spend your money to grow the fish. The fish grows. It is not like a cow. You have to feed the cow, buy animal feeds, have someone to shepherd them and have structures. But the fish is in the sea or the lake. You spend nothing to grow the fish. The only thing that you need is equipment and tools to go and get it. Now, if you do that, economic growth is faster in that sector than in any other sector because you do not spend to grow the fish. This country needs to learn that important thing."
}