Budget figures correct, says House team

Mr Kenyatta who opened the conference said: “We should stop looking for people to blame and instead look at ourselves and ask what contribution we can make to better our nation.

“If we continue to criticise each other, bad mouth and compare ourselves with others instead of looking where we are ...we can’t progress.”

While admitting that Mars Group had its facts correct before the documents were reprinted, the Budget Committee yesterday was categorical this time round, the lobby group was wrong.

“We hereby wish to release the tables to the Press as a confirmation that these figures are correct and to let everyone know that the Budget Committee is well backed by a resourceful Budget Office with budget experts who are independent.”

Other MPs at the press conference included Mr David Ngugi, Mr Alfred Sambu and Mr Elias Mbau. They asked Mars Group, whom they had sat with during the furore over the earlier errors, to liaise more with the Budget Office if there were other issues to be contested.

“There is no need to excite Kenyans,” Mr Kones said.

The Committee noted that recommendations on correcting the figures and the passing of the Fiscal Management Bill had progressed well and hoped the forensic audit would also progress well.

The committee has 11 members and eight of them met on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

Mars Group, headed by Mr Mwalimu Mati, scored a major point after identifying distortions in supplementary spending figures earlier passed by MPs.

However, an investigation by Parliament’s Budget and Finance departmental committees cleared Treasury of intent to defraud, agreeing with Mr Kenyatta’s explanation that the mistake was due to typing or computer errors.

Mr Kenyatta replaced Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya at Treasury after Mr Kimunya stepped down following a vote of no confidence over the sale of Grand Regency Hotel (now Laico Regency) among other transactions. He was later moved to the Ministry of Trade.

Mr Kimunya’s predecessor at Treasury, David Mwiraria resigned after he was mentioned in the Anglo Leasing scandal.