Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 625805,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/625805/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 459,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Were",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 153,
        "legal_name": "David Aoko Were",
        "slug": "david-were"
    },
    "content": "there was a lot of resistance. We were told we could not increase the ceilings. If we increased, the Committee had to come up with a suggestion on how the extra revenue would be collected. If not raising extra revenue, then what mode of borrowing would be taken? Because of that, many projects that are to be done by ministries will not be implemented. I would like to give examples. On cash transfer, the Mover indicated that the Government intends to increase the beneficiaries from 717,000 in 2015/2016 to 1.7 million in 2018/2019. Looking at the budget proposals for the ceilings provided in 2016/2017, the figures remain the same as those in 2015/2016. That programme might not be sustainable. That is because if at all it is a flagship project and yet the increase is not provided for in the 2016/2017 Financial Year, how will we reach 1.7 million beneficiaries in 2018/2019? We have the Olympic Games in August which require about Kshs800 million. They have not been provided for in the Budget Policy Statement (BPS). The country bid to host the World Under 17 Youth Athletics Championships held last year held in Cali, Colombia. We won the bid and were handed the flag last year. But there is no provision for the Youth Championships in the BPS. We are grappling with anti-doping problems in this country. We know that Russia has been suspended and we have been given conditions by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that we must comply with. The provision for that kind of activity was not covered. We were told by the Treasury that the problem lies with line ministries; that whenever they are given ceilings, they do not consider priority projects like the Olympics because they know that, at the end of the day, money will be made available. The ceiling for the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture in 2015/2016 was about Kshs6.5 billion and in 2016/2017, it dropped to 5.4 billion. That is a drop of Kshs1.1 billion. The Youth Championships require Kshs1.3 billion, Olympics Games Kshs800 million and anti-doping requires Kshs500 million. That amounts to about Kshs3 billion. If they were to capture these figures within their ceilings, then it means that the operations of those ministries will come to a halt. The National Treasury should be realistic when considering sectors because several Committees faced the same problems. Suggestions that came up faced resistance. Hon. Speaker, there is also a weakness in the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act which gives us only two weeks to look at this document. The regulations and conditions that we cannot vary ceilings beg one question: What is the purpose of having a Committee looking at the BPS and the estimates which will come before 30th April? What business are you doing if at all you are told you cannot exceed a certain limit? There are so many excuses. All said and done, we did our best. We sat for long hours and came up with a report which we adopted. It has been tabled, moved and I beg to second."
}