CORD Senator calls for budget re-allocation to avoid wastage

By Moses Njagih

NAIROBI, KENYA: Senate Deputy Minority Whip Janet Ong’era wants the Government to consider budgetary re-allocations to avoid wastages in ministries’ that have been given excessive financial allocations.

Ong’era said skewed allocations had seen some departments granted excess funding that are likely to encourage wastages.

She wants re-allocations made to ensure other deserving departments are granted funds to address the pressing needs that have sent public workers on strike.

Ong’era faulted Treasury’s allocations to ministries, accusing the Jubilee government of having lopsided priorities and encouraging wastages by pumping more resources to departments that are less deserving.

The Senator singled out allocations made to the Devolution Ministry, which was given in excess of Sh84 billion, and the allocations for the National Intelligence Service (NIS), departments she argued did not deserve the allocations.

Ong’era said the Intelligence organ had not demonstrated that it deserved such huge allocations.

The ODM nominated Senator argued that granting the departments such financial allocation would only encourage wastages, hence the need to consider re-allocations and have more funds channeled to County governments.

“It raises questions when such departments are allocated excess funds when other more deserving departments and our Counties have been starved of finances. We must be more rational and consider re-allocations or we continue facing the challenges of industrial unrest,” Ong’era said in a press statement.

She added: “If the government is serious on devolution, then the priority and most important thing at the moment is to give more resources to the devolved units”.

Ong’era said that already, employees in departments whose functions have been devolved had started expressing fears over their jobs as they feel that the allocation given to counties may not be sufficient to cater for their salaries.

“We have heard complaints from nurses who are already opposed to being paid by counties as they fear that the allocations given to their department may not be sufficient to cater for their wages. We are likely to see more of such complaints unless we address the deficits in county allocations,” she said.

The Senator said the government can afford the demands, including of public servants on strike like teachers and others demanding better remuneration if it curbed wastages and unnecessary allocations to departments that are less deserving.