• Spending on KICC facelift, Covid19 response, pending bills, IFMIS support, Mau forest evictees is among those rejected by COB.
• COB is also yet to approve the Sh3.4 billion National Treasury used to pay pending bills.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
The Controller of Budget has rejected key spending requests by President William Ruto’s administration including the Sh400 million that State House spent on the purchase of motor vehicles last July.
A new report reveals that COB Margaret Nyakang'o is also yet to approve Sh700 million spent in the construction of a modern presidential dais at State House.
In total, the budget boss has rejected spending requests of more than Sh58 billion by the 23 ministries, state departments and agencies that accessed additional funding during the review period.
Spending on KICC facelift, Covid-19 response, pending bills, IFMIS support, and Mau forest evictees are among those rejected by COB.
The National Treasury, according to the national government budget review for the period covering July 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, approved additional expenditure of over Sh66 billion.
Of the extra spending committed in the first nine months of the current financial year, the budget controller has given a nod to only Sh8 billion.
“The cumulative exchequer issues under Article 223 amounted to Sh8.27 billion, representing 0.2 per cent of the revised net estimates budget of Sh4.28 trillion appropriated by Parliament. The funded requisitions are only 0.3 per cent of the total approvals,” the report reads.
Nyakang’o rejected, among other requests, Sh1.58 billion to cater to the facelift of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. The request was made by the State Department of Tourism.
The budget controller has also not approved spending of Sh104 million to support the operations of the Trade Cabinet secretary.
An expenditure of Sh1.14 billion to support the IFMIS department’s operations, maintenance and implementation of projects is also yet to be approved.
COB is also yet to approve the Sh3.4 billion National Treasury used to pay pending bills and settle outstanding invoices under various projects.
The Treasury spent Sh10.9 billion to cater for the KRA budget deficit, pending bills and additional funding for revenue mobilisation but only Sh1 billion has since been approved.
Some Sh450 million cash for VAT refund to the US embassy is also yet to be approved, and so is the Sh290 million Medical Services department for the Covid-19 outbreak.
Mau forest evictees, the report shows, were resettled at Sh660 million. Some Sh1 billion spent on procurement of e-passport booklets is also yet to be approved.
The budget boss said the National Treasury should obtain the consent of Parliament within two months after withdrawing the money, with the report showing some of the monies were spent as far back as last July.
“If Parliament is not sitting during the time or is sitting but adjourns before the approval has been sought, the approval should be sought within two weeks after its next sitting,” Nyakang’o said.
“It would be prudent to confirm sufficient liquidity before approving Article 223 proposals from the MDAs.”
Article 223 spending has been a thorny issue lately. A recent report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu red-flagged the expenditures by the previous administration.
While the Treasury approved Sh1.5 billion for multi-security operations, the budget boss okayed only Sh594 million.
The report further reveals that Nyakang’o has yet to approve spending of about Sh18 billion that the government used on fuel subsidies.
Also rejected is President Ruto’s office's request for Sh211 million to cater for pending bills in the construction of small claims courts.
Another request of Sh150 million to facilitate the activities of the office of the Government Spokesperson – paid out in February - was rejected.
The Defence ministry’s spending of Sh200 million on operations to respond to El Nino rains is yet to be approved.
At the Energy ministry, the budget boss has declined approvals for Sh2.3 billion which was spent to cater for a project connecting power between Kenya and Ethiopia.
Only Sh78 million, which the Treasury approved in September to cater for the Eastern electricity highway project, has since been approved.
At the Roads ministry, Nyakang’o has rejected a request for approval of Sh500 million to facilitate payment of pending bills for the Mwache-Mtenza road.
An expenditure of Sh2 billion on relief food and non-food items by the department of ASALs is yet to be approved as well.
Nyakang’o, the report reveals, has also rejected a budget request of Sh200 million to cater for “Wings to Fly” funding by Germany.
While the Crop department spent Sh2.24 billion on the mobilisation and purchase of grain dryers during the period, only Sh448 million has been approved.