National Treasury seeks MPs’ approval to spend Sh32.4bn

The National Treasury has asked Parliament to approve an increase in the government’s recurrent expenditure in the current financial year by Sh32.4 billion, the bulk of which will go towards maintenance of roads.

It plans to increase spending on the maintenance of roads by Sh20 billion in the second half of the last full financial year of the Jubilee administration, a move likely to be seen as part of the campaigns ahead of the August 2017 elections.

The Treasury said in a Supplementary Budget submitted to the National Assembly last week that the Sh20 billion is from an increased fuel levy from Sh12 to Sh18 a litre

“The money will result in increased maintenance of roads,” said the Treasury.

It will also use the Supplementary Budget to fund some of the Jubilee administration’s flagship projects under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Technology.

Among them is the Digital Learning Programme, which will get an additional Sh3.2 billion as the government seeks to have 1.2 million tablets supplied to Standard One pupils by the end of the current financial year. The Treasury said there was also increased commitment to the project from donors.

An initiative to encourage the youth to look for jobs they can do over the Internet, known as Ajira Digital, has been allocated Sh241.4 million.

In the revised estimates, other significant beneficiaries of the increase in recurrent expenditure are the Interior ministry, whose budget has been increased by Sh5.4 billion.

REPARTRIATION OF REFUGEES

The Treasury said the money would cater for operations and maintenance, including the repatriation of refugees, national cohesion and integration, issuing of identity cards and enhanced security.

Primary and secondary schools will also have classrooms and other facilities upgraded after an additional Sh2.7 billion was allocated under the Basic Education Department in the ministry headed by Dr Fred Matiang’i.

The Treasury’s budget has also been increased. The Supplementary Budget shows that Sh325 million was earmarked for the Second High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation that was held last week in Nairobi.

The Treasury will also increase by Sh1.2 billion the allocation for leasing vehicles under a new government plan.

The vehicles are to be leased for security agencies as well as the Education ministry.

Its budget for development was also raised: Sh2 billion for the Equalisation Fund, Sh500 million for equity participation in Uchumi Supermarket and Sh250 million for the Agricultural Finance Corporation.

For the fight against corruption, the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Financial Reporting Centre have had their budgets increased by Sh100 million.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission had its allocation increased by Sh700 million to fund multi-agency investigations into corruption.

The Prisons Department will get an additional Sh486.9 million.