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"id": 222404,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Oloo-Aringo",
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"legal_name": "Peter Oloo Aringo",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you can see I am extremely happy to move this Bill at long last, after a long and protracted struggle. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Fiscal Management Bill be now read a Second Time. The Fiscal Management Bill will provide for an Act of Parliament, when it is enacted into law, that will enable the National Assembly to regulate and exercise oversight over the national budget process. It will also provide for the establishment of the Budget Committee in the National Assembly and the Parliamentary Office of Fiscal Analysis in the Parliamentary Service. The difference between this approach is that, it is true that there has been consultations over the Budget. But year in, year out, it is ad hoc and amorphous. The Treasury, for example, calls a number of the so-called stakeholders to a one day meeting at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre May 10, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1287 (KICC), and hon. Members are supposed to join that group of stakeholders. That one day has been considered by the Treasury as the basis of consultations over the Budget. However, there is no structured manner of doing so. This Bill, therefore, will bring into law, a structured approach in the interrogation of the Budget. It is those two provisions that make this Bill extremely important. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, first, I will go into the Bill itself. As I do so, I will also explain the implications of passing this Bill. There are 28 sections in the Bill, which are grouped into nine parts. The first part, as in all Bills that we bring here, discusses various definitions. There are several definitions, but the most important definition is that of the \"Budget\". We have debated budgets year in, year out. But at no time have we ever asked: What is a national budget? What is involved in the national Budget? For the first time, this Bill defines what a national Budget is all about. For example it is broken into four parts. The first part of a national Budget is formulation and preparation of the Budget. The second part, which we take part in as Parliament, is the legislation and adoption of the Budget. It is during this second part that we listen to the Minister on his financial statement and debate it. Secondly, we enact into law the Finance Bill, the Appropriation Bill and the Supplement Appropriation Bill. The National Assembly actually engages in the Budget process at the level of legislation. The third stage in the Budget process, is the execution and implementation of the national Budget. Again, this is largely the work of the Executive. But through Questions and Motions in this House, we are able to oversee how the Executive is implementing the national Budget. So, we take part in that section of the national Budget. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the fourth and final one, is the audit. The National Assembly actually takes part in the audit, because our Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Public Investments Committee (PIC) always focus on the findings of the auditors, and bring the reports here. Therefore, the National Assembly is engaged in the audit. What is the missing link is the first part: the formulation of the Budget process. That is the area of policy. The importance of the Budget is not the figures which come towards the end. The importance of the Budget is the policy. The figures simply implement the policy. But we have had a raw deal year in, year out. We are presented with a huge box with a lot of figures, but we do not take part at the stage of formulation. Therefore, in anticipation of what I am going to say, is that it is restoring this formulation stage, where after the Minister has drafted the Budget, he brings it to this House early. We are providing here two to two-and-half months, so that we can look into the policies which made the Minister arrive at certain figures. We shall discuss the policy which allow the Minister to give priorities in his Budget Statement. Therefore, we are now restoring the actual role of the representatives of the people. It is at that stage that we, as parliamentarians, must contest those policies. For example, if the Minister gives the Ministry of Defence---"
}