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"id": 339534,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/339534/?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": "11 Thursday, 13th December, 2012(P) (iii) The national Treasury shall submit the Budget Policy Statement, approved in terms of sub-section (1) to Parliament by the 15th of February in each financial year” Mr. Speaker, Sir, by 15th of February this Parliament will have had its life come to an end. If indeed, according to another sub-section once the Minister for Finance submits the Budget Policy Statement which gets committed to all the departmental committees to engage Ministries, agencies and departments to make and help Parliament make its input so that within 14 days the Budget Committee is able to table for discussion, adoption and debate to this House the Budget Policy Statement Report which, when adopted, forms the framework for further deliberations towards Ministries doing their proposals for budget or revenues or expenditure by 30th April. Then it means as our days of the House come to an end, there is no time for departmental committees to have engaged with the Ministries, to have made their input into this process. I fear that the Ministry of Finance is going to do the “dishonourable” thing one of these days. It may just bring the Budget Policy Statement, table it here and say it has done its part without due care of the time frame that Parliament ought to take in order to prosecute that agenda effectively. Of course when we go on recess it shall be difficult for Members to be found to come and do that duty. My request is that when I look at the calendar of days left, even if that statement was to be submitted today, if Members of the House would be kind enough, the only days left cannot be enough to allow us prosecute effectively on behalf of Kenyans. My calendar tells me that the 14 days that we have, if indeed the 14 days that are mentioned include Sundays and Saturdays, then we would have to do a return by the 28th of this month; that is if we include Christmas day. That, is assuming the statement came today which statement must come before the Government proceeds to plan and process its budget, we must approve. Mr. Speaker, Sir, therefore, I am finding it that you may have to consider whether again assuming the 14 days in the Act are actually not inclusive of Sundays and Saturdays then we have only working days that can take up to 10th January as the latest day when we can probably reconvene after the recess to come and prosecute that agenda. If we do not prosecute that agenda, I am telling the Executive and I see the Deputy Leader of Government Business seated across, we are on a crisis in so far as spending and funding crucial, critical operations of the Government is concerned. I see it like the many statements I have raised even when we have had occasion to launch sector working groups, the so called initial stages towards national budget making process, have not been taken so that we can be informed. Lastly, Section 205 (4) of the Public Financial Management Act is on miscellaneous provisions and it requires that the Cabinet Secretary may make regulations not inconsistent with this Act respecting any matter that is necessary or convenient to be prescribed under this Act for the carrying out of and giving effect to this Act. Sub-section (4) says regulations under sub-section (1) shall not take effect unless approved by a resolution passed by Parliament. Mr. Speaker, Sir, these regulations are about how the county governments shall spend, receive and disburse monies that shall have been appropriated. These regulations, once again have not come. If they do not come, even if we go to elections then it means that we shall not have passed these regulations and county governments will not be in a position to benefit from the resources from the county governments."
}