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{
"id": 1623113,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623113/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4540,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "implementation. For examinations that were not factored in, we provided Ksh5.9 million, and that matter is now settled. However, if we consider the Ksh6.7 billion, we would still have a change. Another crucial aspect that must be addressed for this budget to make sense to Kenyans is land compensation. The Budget and Appropriations Committee has provided Ksh4 billion for land compensation. Many Kenyans have donated their land for public goods and services and have not been compensated. For this Budget to make sense to these Kenyans, we must ensure that we provide enough resources to compensate them for their lands. I totally agree with what Hon. Elachi said regarding the issue of corruption in this country. During the debate on this budget, the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives indicated that the accounting officer in charge of the Hustler Fund had informed them that they could not recover Ksh5 billion that had been disbursed to Kenyans. How dare you add resources to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) where resources have not been accounted for? If this budget is to make sense, we must ensure that the issue of misappropriation is resolved. The other thing that must be done, if this budget is to make sense, is the issue of the Equalisation Fund. Since 2010, this Fund has been budgeted for year in and year out, but these resources are never released to the implementing departments in the rural areas. Therefore, the essence of the Equalisation Fund is being compromised because the funds are not being disbursed as expected. Another crucial aspect that must be addressed for this budget to make sense is the issue of public participation. The members of this Committee went out to Kenyans and received a list of projects that the various counties expect to be done in the Financial Year. However, in the 2024/2025 financial year, the allocation for public participation was reallocated through a supplementary budget. This budget cannot make sense if we continue entertaining such situations. Kenyans proposed the allocation towards public participation, and therefore, it must be respected. The National Treasury has no authority to touch that money. Another thing that must be addressed for this budget to make sense is the issue of pending bills. As Hon. Elachi said, unless we clear the pending bills, Kenyans will continue lamenting. These pending bills belong to Kenyans who have provided goods and services to the Government. It is high time we cleared them. There is also the issue of the verification committees, which, in my opinion, is a deliberate move to delay the clearing of pending bills. These verification committees must move with speed to ensure that we clear the pending bills. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I would also like to focus on the issue of privatisation. From where I sit, there is still room for improvement on the projects and programmes that have gone into this budget. We might do better if we take slightly more time so that we get our prioritisation right. In my opinion, we are not yet at 100 per cent, there is still room of about 30 per cent. If we improve that 30 per cent, we can easily do with minimal borrowing. I remember the Leader of the Majority Party said that we borrow about Ksh878 billion which is 4.5 per cent of the GDP. If we prioritise well, we could easily reduce this deficit to about 3 per cent. The less we borrow, the better for this country, because borrowing has squeezed our fiscal space to a level that prevents us from undertaking any development. My final point is that the Auditor-General reported that a third of the budget, which amounts to approximately a trillion, cannot be accounted for. We are borrowing Ksh900 billion, but a trillion cannot be accounted for. You can do the mathematics and get answers. If we achieve zero wastage, we will have approximately Ksh100 billion to spare without borrowing. Hon. Temporary Speaker, thank you, I submit and support. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}