Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 801893,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/801893/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 232,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ibrahim Ahmed",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13505,
        "legal_name": "Ahmed Abdisalan Ibrahim",
        "slug": "ahmed-abdisalan-ibrahim"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also rise to add my voice to the Budget and Appropriations Committee’s Report. I congratulate them for a job well done. However, I also have reservations on the reallocation they have made just like Hon. Rehema has raised. To the best of my understanding, this budget-making is guided by BPS ceiling, Medium Term Plan III, Vision 2030 and the MDS strategic plan. I wonder whether the reallocations made by the Budget and Appropriations Committee are in line with these guidelines. I am asking this because as raised by hon. Member, you wonder why Kshs100 million has been reallocated from the school programme plan to another function. This is not fair. You will find that Kshs700 million which was earlier meant for construction and equipping of constituency industrial development centres has been reallocated to military modernisation programme in the Ministry of Defence. I want to agree with them that it is important to allocate funds to the Ministry of Defence modernisation plan. However, funds that were already allocated to constituencies ought not to be reallocated for this purpose again. Of course, a lot of funds have been reallocated from the tourism sector to Ushanga Kenya Initiative. I do not understand what we mean by this Ushanga Kenya Initiative but I am made to understand that this is meant for certain women groups. It is fair that this is also done across the board because we have very deserving and vulnerable women groups in different parts of this country. We must be guided by need and not by any other reason. Secondly, it is important that distribution of these funds be fair in the different regions of this country. Article 201 of the Constitution talks about principles of public finance and gives guidelines on issues of openness, accountability and public participation. It reads that the burdens of this country should be equitably distributed between present and future generations. When we are distributing resources, why can we not be fair in such a manner that it reflects the face of this country? This Budget ought to ensure that there is fair and equitable distribution of funds across the regions of this country. You will find that there are certain marginalised areas within the county itself. If the allocations we are making within the national Government are done in a manner that does not reflect all the regions of this country, it will be unfair. That will mean the already marginalised communities like the El Molo or the Ajuran of the Somali community will be more marginalised again. This ought to be checked well to ensure there is equitable and fair distribution of resources within this country. On the aspect of the Equalisation Fund, I strongly feel that the CRA and the National Treasury are dragging their feet on its implementation. We need to ensure resources are allocated to the areas they are meant for. The CRA should be informed that their action is totally contrary to the promulgation of the Constitution 2010, which ensures that marginalised communities in this country are served well. We should not just have these funds being mentioned in the Budget."
}