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{
    "id": 276604,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/276604/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 440,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Budget. We should not be misled to think that the Government will shut down if this money is not approved. I think we need to do the right thing by telling the Executive that we are not going to be part of their intention of trying to take this country for a ride. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am inclined to oppose this Motion and the reasons are as follows. First, the Minister has casually moved this Motion yet the Constitution is very clear that the only amount we can appropriate is where the amount appropriated was insufficient, or where a need has a risen for expenditure for a purpose for which no amount has been appropriated by the Act. I expected the Minister to take us through all these expenditure lines and tell us exactly what was not foreseen, or why the amount we appropriated has become insufficient. So, unless the Minister tells me, for example, why the Cabinet Office should be given 7 per cent more for development; how was that not foreseen and how has money become insufficient? If you look at the Recurrent Expenditure, a lot of it has been increased. For the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, expenditure has been increased by 76 per cent. This is basically money for salaries, hospitality, furniture, office expenses and so on. How were these not foreseen? Instead of increasing development expenditure for that Ministry to develop northern Kenya, you are only increasing Recurrent Expenditure and reducing Development Expenditure. Are we getting our priorities right? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe that unless the Minister tells us why he wants us to give him more funds on this Budget line, this House should not give any extra coin for the Government to spend on this line. Secondly, the Constitution is very clear under Article 223(2) that the approval of Parliament for any spending under this Article shall be sought within two months after the first withdrawal of the money. The Minister has not given us expenditure analysis to show us--- For example, if he wants us to give him more money to give to the Kenya Defence Forces, can he tell us whether he has not already spent that money? If you have already spent it then in which manner did you spent it? If you spent it in January or December, we cannot give you money because the Constitution does not allow us to give you money beyond two months. You should have come to this House within two months after spending the money and requested additional funds, so that when you bring the Supplementary Budget already this House would have given you authority to spend. This House is going to give you authority to spend yet you have not told us in which month you spend this amount; what this House is going to do is to participate and be part of violation of the Constitution. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to find out why we are increasing Recurrent Expenditure to over 70 per cent or 200 per cent in some lines. More importantly, and as my other colleagues have said, the Budget Committee advised the Ministry on how to rearrange and realign various expenditure lines, one of them being the issue of teachers. The Budget Committee recommended additional funding for teachers but this Government, in their own wisdom or lack of it, decided to reduce that amount. Right now they are bringing it back. We are telling you, yes for teachers we know you should get more money, but wait a little so that we deal with this Government. We will give teachers more money in the next Budget but we want to show the Executive that it is this Parliament that appropriates. Do not condition us to think the way you are thinking. Regarding the case of land, we added money for computerization. The Minister took it away but right now in the Supplementary Budget, you are bringing it back. What"
}