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{
    "id": 515587,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/515587/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 165,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. G.W. Omondi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1169,
        "legal_name": "George Washinton Mallan Omondi",
        "slug": "george-washinton-mallan-omondi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to talk about the Budget Policy Statement, as amended twice. I will not dwell much on the figures that have been presented in this Budget Policy Statement because, we, in the Budget and Appropriations Committee, looked at this document very adequately. The accounting bit of the Budget Policy Statement has been adequately addressed. Therefore, I do not want to go into that aspect. I will address myself to some deficiencies or shortcomings that I have noted in the Budget Policy Statement. The Budget Policy Statement should spell out the economic, political and social environment which contains the fundamental past, present and the future that inform the figures going into the Budget projections and allocations. These are informed by the economic fundamentals, which are supposed to be spelt out in the Budget Policy Statement. This is lacking in the Budget Policy Statement presented to us. As a budget making House, we are almost halfway because we have looked at the figures. However, the Budget Policy Statement is inadequate in presenting the facts or information that informs these figures. The information we have from the Budget Policy Statement is very disjointed. We are not getting the status of what was planned previously. We are not being told where those programmes have reached and whether they are successful. For example, we are not being told about the status of the irrigation scheme in Galana area where we were told that 100,000 acres of land are being irrigated. In order to make the Budget adequate, this should be shown. We should be told the status of this scheme so that we can appreciate that the Budget Policy Statement presented has taken into account the goings-on in the economy. We are not aware whether we are moving forward or backward. Some programmes which had not been included before have been put forward. Secondly, the bottom-line of all budgets is growth. We are being told how we are going to grow but how are we growing? We are not being told what is happening to poverty, inequality and how we are sharing this growth. Eventually, when we have grown our economy at 5, 6 or 7 per cent, the Budget Policy Statement should tell us if that growth is going to reduce our poverty or inequality. That needs to be there. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}