•Treasury had indicated it would slash budgets for top offices.
•The top offices were set to receive Sh20 billion more.
Image: AMOS NJAU
The split between President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has gone full-blown.
In the latest onslaught, MPs have slashed the Deputy President’s operations budget by about Sh500 million in a move that could cripple his movements.
Estimates presented by the National Treasury had showed that the money was allocated for operations, maintenance and other operating expenses.
However, after a review by the Ndindi Nyoro-led Budget and Appropriations Committee, the money has been split and allocated to programmes with exact deliverables.
The committee set aside Sh80 million for recurrent expenses incurred in the rehabilitation of Harambee House Annex.
Another Sh20 million would be used to fund development expenses in the facelift of the DP’s offices.
MPs have set aside Sh150 million from the savings to go towards coffee reforms, Sh100 million for tea reforms, and Sh150 million for eradication of drug abuse.
The deduction comes hot on the heels of a recent pronouncement by the National Treasury that budgets for the top offices would be slashed.
Treasury PS Chris Kiptoo, when he appeared before the committee, said that the exchequer sought to review and rationalise votes for the office of the President.
“The savings will be used to address the ongoing reforms in the coffee sector, fight against illicit brew and abuse of drugs,” the PS said.
“These proposed amendments will be considered against the available resources and will be formally submitted to the National Assembly for consideration,” he explained.
Monies allocated under ‘other operating expenses’ are the ones the top offices spend on the usually non-specified activities.
Treasury had allocated Sh2.5 billion towards the DP’s support services, which was an increase of Sh500 million from last year’s allocation.
The changes saw the other operating expenses budget increase from Sh800 million to Sh1 billion, while that of vehicles maintenance went up by Sh30 million.
DP’s budget for fuel was allocated Sh70 million more while that of hospitality went up by Sh250 million and is to peak at Sh480 million next year.
Overall, the Budget Committee has been slashed by Sh180 billion, being a reduction from Sh4.18 trillion to Sh4 trillion.
Nyoro said the reduction followed “a mismatch between the money we intend to raise in revenue against our expenditure.”
“We had to respond to other pressing issues,” the Kiharu lawmaker, and a President Ruto right-hand man on matters budget, said.
On the other hand, allocation to the Executive Office of the President has been increased to cater for new budget votes including upgrade of government printer.
The government printer has been allocated Sh350 million for purchase of office furniture and general equipment for the government printer.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s office which was tipped for the cut has not been affected in the reviewed budget.
In the ensuing changes, BAC has allocated Sh2.4 trillion to go to the expenditure of national government including Judiciary and Parliament.
Judiciary has been allocated Sh23.7 billion while Parliament has lost its bid for an extra Sh20 billion and will now make do with Sh43.6 billion – albeit Sh2 billion higher.
Parliament was allocated Sh41 billion in the Budget Policy Statement 2024, an amount which PSC wanted increased to Sh63 billion.
At least Sh1.3 trillion has been allocated to Consolidated Fund Services, of which Sh1 trillion will go towards payment of public debt.
The total proposed budget for the next financial year is Sh3.914 trillion, comprising Sh1.58 trillion recurrent expenditure, Sh728 billion for development, and Sh391 billion in county equitable share.
“CFS expenditure includes Sh1.0009 trillion in interest payments on public debt and Sh203 billion in contribution to pensions and other CFS expenditures,” BAC said.
The Auditor General has been allocated Sh8.6 billion, Sh5 billion to the contingency fund, and Sh11.4 billion to the equalisation fund.
Education accounts for the largest share of the national budget at Sh654 billion which MPs said would go towards capitation, infrastructure and staffing of schools.
TSC has been allocated more than half of the amount (Sh351 billion) for teacher resource management.
Free day secondary schools are tipped for Sh63.8 billion, Sh30 billion for Junior Secondary Schools, and Sh55 billion for loans to university and TVET students.
The other huge allocation has gone to the energy, infrastructure and ICT sector at Sh462 billion, the highlight being Sh14.5 billion to be shared by constituencies equally to enhance connectivity and access to power.
Agriculture sector has been allocated Sh79 billion while the health sector has an allocation of Sh126.8 billion.
Of the latter amount, Sh2.5 billion would go towards community health promoters and Sh3.7 billion to absorb medical interns.
MPs have also provided Sh2.5 billion for the Linda Mama initiative and for equipping various hospitals and medical training colleges (KMTCs).
Earlier, lawmakers approved an extra Sh51 billion recurrent budget for the government for the current financial year.
The supplementary estimates saw development estimates slashed by Sh75 billion and the overall budget reduced by Sh21 billion.
The National Assembly approved an extra Sh1.2 billion for President Ruto’s office to boost operations and support government advisory services.
MPs also approved State House’s extra Sh1.5 billion towards operations, and another Sh150 million specifically for the Office of the President.
Gachagua got an extra Sh463 million which include an extra Sh200 million for implementation of an anti-drugs abuse campaign this fiscal year.
Another Sh93.2 million was approved for hospitality, local travel, routine maintenance, fuel and uniforms for staffers.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi was allocated an extra Sh221 million in the supplementary estimates.
Some of the monies had been extended ahead of the approval by the National Assembly under Article 223 of the constitution which allows for prior spending.
State House was among the beneficiaries of the extra amounts with Sh1.5 billion added to the budget that was approved last June.
The Nyoro-led Budget Committee said the additional allocations were to cater for increased operations and maintenance costs.
“These were primarily to cater for increased operation and maintenance costs, including salary shortfalls. Others include medical and GPA insurance, security operations, arbitration costs,” the committee report reads in part.
The extra Sh2 billion for the national police service to meet costs of insurance was also approved, as well as another Sh2.3 billion for security operations.
MPs also approved another Sh2.3 billion which was spent on emergency response towards El Nino by the ASALs department.
Some Sh500 million spent by the Defence department has also been approved.
Lawmakers have also approved an extra Sh4.7 billion which was expended to boost operations of the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Treasury has also secured approvals for Sh4.5 billion towards grants to semi-autonomous government agencies.
Legal dues for Kenya Railways Corporation’s arbitration case which was outstanding at Sh500 million has also been approved.
The committee also okayed the Sh671 million which was expended in the Eldoret-Nadapal fibre optic cable project.
Of the extra Sh34 billion spent under Article 223, the exchequer has disbursed Sh19.2 billion including Sh2 billion in salary shortfalls to the Kenya Forest Service.