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"id": 191030,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/191030/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Mbau",
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"speaker": {
"id": 182,
"legal_name": "Elias Peter Mbau",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was describing to the hon. Members the four stages or processes that a budget of a country entails. The third one is execution. Execution is where after the budget is passed, the executing and implementing agencies or arms of an organization or Government now go out to ensure that the objectives, as were set out in the budget, are achieved. Of course, the final one is devolution and audit, where those that are the beneficiaries or those that mandate the budget and pass it, are given a chance to consider whether value for money for whatever sums were set to do certain activities was realised. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we do note that in Kenya the budget-making process has not been representative enough. Particularly, Members of this House, who are supposed to be the ones who pass the budget and are the real representatives of the people, who are eventually the ones who fund the various activities of the Government, are rarely involved in the process of budget making. This Motion is seeking to introduce a Bill to ensure that the process of budget- making takes into account the input and contributions of these policy makers who eventually are responsible for what happens in the country, in terms of development. This Motion seeks to ensure that the process demystifies the budget and brings hon. Members on board. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in the last two weeks, we did note that many Members of Parliament either abstained or were disinterested. On many occasions, this House went without quorum, simply because many Members of Parliament - because of the manner in which in the past budgets have been formulated, brought here, implemented and eventually audited - do not feel like they are part and parcel of that. By last week, there were no Members willing to contribute or debate. Why debate and discuss a budget or document whose decisions are already arrived at? Despite the fact that a Member of Parliament is being looked upon by the whole country to have made a contribution to what goes on, the only thing that he can do is for the Minister eventually to say: \"Yes, we do note your concerns,\" but nothing happens. So, in this Motion, I want to move that the Treasury, at some point in time, shall be compelled to be producing a compliance report which will be telling this House, as often as the Bill will stipulate, how far the budget and programme of the Government and various departments have been achieved. It will also be telling this House which Ministries and departments are lagging behind. It will also tell us whether it is possible, with that in mind, to try to re-allocate resources from one Ministry to another midstream, so that we can eventually ensure that not a single cent is July 2, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1549 returned to the Treasury as it usually happens with some Ministries. Some Ministries have capacity to implement while others are lazy and they do not have capacity. The other aspect that my Motion will be seeking to introduce is the fact that after the budget is eventually implemented, there are usually very many recommendations, often made by the Controller and Auditor-General and this House, regarding certain departments, where funds were mismanaged, mis-allocated and such other things. For many years, this House has gone without being able to enforce recommendations by the Controller and Auditor-General, as well as its own recommendations, because there is no mechanism. This Motion will ensure that we achieve that bit. I believe that we will add value to the budget-making process in this country. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is also good to note that different regions in this country require different treatment and attention. When the Minister for Finance comes here and says that there is a sum of Kshs2 billion allocated, for example, to the Ministry of Fisheries Development, which is not a department that is found in each and every part in this country--- For instance you may find very little fishing in North Eastern Province. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to submit that in view of the fact that each constituency, district, province and region in this country requires different treatment and attention, we shall be calling on Members of Parliament to begin the Budget making process in their constituencies. There is nothing wrong with having a constituency Budget Day. Just like the other day, we had all local authorities presenting their budgets. So, we can begin the Budget making process by ensuring that each constituency, district, province and region spells out its various needs and developmental aspirations and goals which should be incorporated by the Government departments and Ministries, so that eventually when we come to discuss the Budget here, we are not left to discuss a document and a programme which we have no idea about. This will also help a lot in demystifying the Budget. When the public out there hear about the Budget, they think it is just another document or animal which only the Minister for Finance and Treasury officials are competent to know what it is. The process is as simple as people being able to know what needs to be done and the funds made available through taxes. It is taxes which will form the other end of the funding of the Budget. It is good for them to own the Budget now that they know that the programmes they have proposed from the grassroots are going to be part of their lives. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the situation, as it is now, has left Members of Parliament with merely the task of noting the contents of the Budget. Members of Parliament are only informed of the existence of very huge documents called Printed Estimates. Those books are here in the Chamber. Some are distributed in our pigeon holes and by the time you read them and understand what is contained in them, the Minister for Finance wants us to pass the Vote on Account by June 26th. So, 50 per cent of the Budget is actually gone without Members of Parliament knowing exactly what is contained in the Printed Estimates. I would like to submit that such a practice reduces Members of Parliament to mere rubber stamps. This is something that should be stopped. It can be done by ensuring that we compel the Minister for Finance to integrate and incorporate the Budget making process and make it as democratic and representative as possible. It should be joint work carried out by Treasury, Parliament and, if necessary, the President because you realise that no Bill becomes law until the President assents to it. He needs to be part of this process. What is the importance of budgeting? This ensures that the limited resources that are mobilised from taxpayers are allocated as rationally and prudently as possible across the country so that every region feels fairly treated. The Government needs to be accountable. It needs to ensure that the Budget is amenable to analysis. We need to avoid the Guillotine process that we have in this Parliament. Since we discuss the Budget for 20 days, we only discuss 20 Ministries. Right now 1550 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 2, 2008 we have 60 Government departments. That means that by the time we discuss 10 Government Ministries, 40 Ministries will be left for Guillotine. That also means that Members of Parliament who are representatives of the people will not know what was contained in the rest of the Budget. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Motion seeks to ensure that this comes to an end. This will be done by ensuring that there is debate on money allocated for each Ministry. We should be able to make amendments as frequently as necessary. The kind of situation the country is in currently--- In the last financial year, Telkom was supposed to have been given Kshs40 billion---"
}