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"id": 50543,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/50543/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. ole Metito",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Regional Authorities Development",
"speaker": {
"id": 199,
"legal_name": "Judah Katoo Ole-Metito",
"slug": "judah-ole-metito"
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"content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I do not intend to take much time, because of the interest hon. Members have in this debate. However, I want to be very categorical that I stand here to oppose this Motion. One of the recommendations by the Budget Committee says that pursuant to Article 241 of the Constitution, the Budget for the Ministry of State for Defence should be separated to reflect allocations to each of the three arms of the Defence Forces and General Administration. Looking at Article 241 of the Constitution of Kenya, which establishes the Defence Forces and the Defence Council, you will see that Section 2 says that the Defence Forces consist of the Kenya Army, the Air Force and the Kenya Navy. Going through the entire Article 241, which has about seven sections, there is no single word on the finances of the Defence Forces. There is no single line which touches on the use of finances. So, to say that the Budget of the Ministry of State for Defence should be separated to reflect the specific budgets for the three arms of the Defence Forces and General Administration is like saying that every Government Ministry established under the Constitution of Kenya should enumerate its financial proposals for each department. The three arms of the Defence Forces are just like other Departments within the Ministry of State for Defence. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in my humble submission, I see nothing wrong with the Policy Statement that was laid on the Table of the House by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance on Wednesday, 13th April, 2011. He did not separate the Budget for the Ministry of State for Defence amongst the three forces, just like it happens in other Ministries. This is like saying that even the Ministry of Agriculture should specify the budget proposals for all the departments within it. That is not possible. It is unrealistic because there is the holistic sum which is budgeted for each and every Ministry. In my opinion, there is need for a command in the Ministry of State for Defence, which is consolidated by the authority within it to allocate financial resources on need basis. If you look at the responsibilities of the Defence Forces as enshrined in our Constitution, in particular Article 241(3) says that:- â(a) The Defence Forces are responsible for defence and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic; (b) shall assist and co-operate with other authorities in situations of emergencies or disaster, and report to the National Assembly whenever deployed in such circumstancesâ. For instance, if you have allocated a specific amount of money for the Kenya Army, the Kenya Air Force and the Kenya Navy, and a disaster or an emergency arises, you will have tied your hands by allocating the money for the Kenya Navy. You did not foresee the possibility of such a disaster and you now want to send the defence forces to such situations. It is only wise that we only approve, as the National Assembly, the Budget for the Defence Forces as a holistic Budget and leave the details of deciding how much goes to which department to the Ministry of State for Defence. Article 241(3) (c) says that:- âThe Defence Forces may be deployed to restore peace in any part of Kenya affected by unrest or instability only with the approval of the National Assemblyâ. It is good that we really do not have a categorical unit and say that the general administration of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Kenya is entitled to this much in terms of a Vote, so that we give the leeway to the Ministry of State for Defence to foresee or allocate the resources on a need by need basis. I am only concerned with tying up the entire Ministry with the specifics. If we were to do that, then we should do it in all the Ministries because all the Ministries have departments. These are just departments within the Ministry of State for Defence. So, I would like to urge my colleagues that let us not, as a House, try to interfere with the day to day activities of this Ministry. It will really tie them down. It will not give the Minister the leeway to use the money allocated by this House on a need to need basis. It is the responsibility of this House to go into the details of knowing how much has been allocated to the Ministry of State for Defence, offer the oversight role of knowing how much has been spent and whether it has been spent in accordance with the approval of this House. To say that we must decide how much goes to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force is like saying that this should be done in all other Ministries. For instance, if you take the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, you have the two departments, namely, youth and sports. Then we are saying that in that Ministry, the policy statement should show how much should go to the Youth Department and how much should go to the Sports Department. It is always enough to say that we have two votes in every Ministry, namely, the Development Expenditure and the Recurrent Expenditure. I agree that even in the Ministry of State for Defence, this House ought to know how much is allocated for the Development Expenditure and how much goes to the Recurrent Expenditure. As I said earlier, I do not intend to take much time because of the interest of the other Members, but I want to plead with this House that the recommendation by the Budget Committee - unless somebody comes with amendments - my observation is that I stand to oppose the Motion as it is."
}