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{
"id": 194541,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/194541/?format=api",
"text_counter": 177,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Oburu",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Finance",
"speaker": {
"id": 194,
"legal_name": "Oburu Ngona Odinga",
"slug": "oburu-odinga"
},
"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, whereas revenue collection has performed as projected, and we have confined our expenditure to the approved level, Budget implementation has faced various challenges and demands that have constrained our resources. Some of these are:- (i) Rising prices of crude oil that has resulted in increase in cost of commodities including, farm inputs; (ii) Outbreak and spread of life-threatening contagious diseases, whose spread must be curtailed; (ii) Post-election disturbances that have displaced Kenyans from their homes. These disturbances have caused a serious threat to our security. Additional funds were, therefore, required for security operations to stop the violence and protect the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and for provision for their basic needs and amenities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government approved the policy to provide free secondary education, and this raised requirement of funds by the Ministry. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the implementation of the National Accord has resulted in an additional eight Ministries being created. This has also resulted in the requirement of additional funds. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Supplementary Estimates have, therefore, been prepared against the backdrop of the above events. Their influences on expenditure, service delivery and the demand they have created on the Government have been taken into account. These factors also prompted Ministries to request additional funds to enable them to continue to provide essential services and effect appropriate interventions. Accordingly, the following are brief highlights of some of the allocations we have proposed for approval by this House. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on Recurrent Expenditure, Vote for the Ministry of 982 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 13, 2008 State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, the general election, and the events that followed demanded increased security operations by the police unit. The Government also approved a one-time payment of honoraria to the officers who were deployed for those operations. Additional funds requested for this Ministry are, therefore, to cater for payment of salaries and allowances, recruitment of security personnel and for operations and maintenance. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Ministry of Agriculture, due to a prevailing shortage of food, it became necessary to supplement funds allocated for strategic grain reserve. It is also our strategy to raise, substantially, the level of the reserve in the medium-term. Additional funds are recommended for these purposes, including the facilitation and capacity building for district extension services. With regard to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, additional funds, amounting to Kshs4 billion, are required for the implementation of free secondary education. The rest of the increase under this Vote is due to transfer of allocations for services related to higher education. With regard to the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS), the Vote requires additional funds to enable it sustain its security intelligence gathering operations. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, funds have also been provided to the newly created Votes to enable them become operational. Increases under the rest of the Votes are mainly to cater for payment of salaries and allowances, operations and maintenance. On Development Expenditure, the Ministry of Finance--- As hon. Members are aware, information technology is the critical functional tool for all sectors of the economy. Governments are, therefore, strategically investing in this sector as it will facilitate economic growth. Additional funds sought for this Vote are, therefore, for construction of Government common core network, implementation of fibre optic and computerisation of the Pensions Department. Funds are also required for equity participation in the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Kenya Electricity Generating Company. I think, the Minister for Energy has just expounded on the need for NOC to acquire more stations. The other increases and decreases indicated under various Votes, both in Recurrent and Development Expenditures, reflect transfer of services in accordance with the new Government structure. The reallocations between Votes have also been effected in order to cater for emerging requirement in priority areas. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are other high priority programmes that require additional funds for their continued implementation. In addition, therefore, to those programmes I have highlighted above, other crucial programmes are:- (i) Disaster response and relief service (ii) Resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (iii) Disease control programmes and (iv) Hawkers' markets. The details of the Revised Estimates are provided in the 2007/2008 Supplementary Estimates Book that was tabled before this House. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Bill before this House is, therefore, to seek approval for appropriations of funds to enable the Government to provide essential services without interruption, and to cater for its obligations and commitments. The approval of this Bill will grant the Treasury statutory authority to release funds from the Consolidated Fund and apply those funds for various purposes and services detailed in the Supplementary Estimates for the Financial Year 2007/2008. I, therefore, wish to urge hon. Members to pass the Bill for the purposes and objectives outlined therein. I wish to thank the hon. Members for unanimous approval of the Motion that approved the tabling of this Bill. I request for their continued support. May 13, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 983 With those few remarks, I beg to move and ask hon. Mungatana to second."
}