Devolution and Planning Secretary Anne Waiguru says Budget friendly to youth, women

By Nicholas Waitathu

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Government has been lauded for increasing resources to harness youth and women talents.

Devolution and Planning Secretary Anne Waiguru on Friday, in a statement, pointed out that the Jubilee Government was ready to transform the country for prosperity and uphold its promise to Kenyans by giving precedence to women and youth.

Reacting to the Budget presented by National Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich, Waiguru said: “By allocating a decisive proportion of the Budget for the 2013/2014 Financial Year to advancing the youth and women agenda, the Jubilee Government had demonstrated its commitment to empowering Kenyan youth and women.”

Strategic interventions

Mr Rotich announced, while delivering the Budget Speech in Parliament that these strategic interventions are designed to harness the talents of youth and women and thereby foster growth by creating jobs and reducing poverty.

Ms Waiguru noted that by addressing the challenges confronting youth and women, the Government seeks to expand economic opportunities for them.

She said the Biashara Kenya Bill that is under formulation, advocates centres with the capacity to address the various deficiencies encountered by women and youth in the pursuit of business.

Waiguru praised the proposed amendment to the Procurement Law that seeks to enhance preference for women, youth and persons with disability by reserving 30 per cent of government tenders for them, noting that this would translate into phenomenal income for these special groups.

Guidelines for tenders

She said guidelines on how to secure tenders and access funds through the women and youth funds would be published and widely publicised by the ministry. She encouraged local companies to forge business partnerships with youth and women to enable them secure the available tenders.

On devolution, Ms Waiguru explained that the transfer of functions from the national to county governments was regulated by the provisions of the Constitution, and relevant laws.

Assessment on capacity is underway that is intended to inform functional assignments between the national and county governments. She further noted that the transfer of the relevant function would be preceded by adequate capacity building efforts by her ministry on behalf of the Government, as mandated by the Constitution.

The role of the ministry in articulating emerging issues of devolution at the Cabinet policy level therefore remains imperative in the new dispensation.

She allayed fears of possible infiltration by corruption cartels in Government procurement, and expressed confidence that the procurement laws and preventive measures incorporated in the financial management systems would adequately insulate the procurement process against corruption, as these were equally applicable at the county level.

She assured that a framework for public complaints would be established in all counties to address any emerging corruption concerns

Meanwhile, a section of opposition MPs have hailed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s budget as progressive but warned that the Government had a few priorities areas ‘upside down’.

The legislators said that the Sh1.6 trillion budget was a step in the right direction but are unanimous in their opposition for the reintroduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Bill, rejected by the ninth Parliament.

Speaking to the Standard on Saturday, Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang said that he would mobilise the opposition to reject the controversial Bill because it will overburden the ordinary Kenyan.

“I see poverty each day in the slum areas of my constituency. The majority can’t afford even a meal and I am not talking about decent meal. That is why this Bill must be opposed,” Kajwang said.

While presenting the budget on Thursday, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich announced that he would reintroduce the VAT Bill to Parliament through which the Government seeks to impose a 16 per cent tax on basic consumer goods.

Cord MPs also lashed out at the Government for allocating a whopping Sh17.4 billion to the Standard One laptop project terming it a ‘populist move’.

Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi said that the laptop project is not an immediate priority since many schools still lack basic infrastructure.