MPs forward Sh5.8b budgetary changes to Treasury

NAIROBI: After weeks of haggling with Cabinet secretaries over budget allocations to respective ministries, MPs have finally splashed Sh5.8 billion on public universities, technical colleges, the electoral commission, and at least 10 parastatals.

The changes were Thursday forwarded to the National Treasury to allow for publication of the Appropriations Bill – the legal instrument which once approved in the House will allow the Controller of Budget to release cash from the Exchequer for the financial year 2015-2016.

It is nonetheless, good news for the National Treasury since MPs did not burst spending ceilings as the budget remains at Sh1.998 trillion.

In the changes, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission came out on top after the Budget and Appropriations Committee approved a Sh500 million increase to help the commission meet the target of four million voters to be registered in the next financial year.

The University of Nairobi also won big as MPs approved Sh1 billion to help the administration negotiate increase in pay and perks for the thousands of staff at Kenya's biggest public university.

Other universities that benefited from the lawmakers' generosity are Chuka University (Sh150 million), Kisii University (Sh100 million), Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University (Sh76 million), Maseno University (Sh71 million), Egerton University (Sh71 million) and South Eastern Kenya University (Sh50 million).

The country's technical colleges will get Sh500 million, but the money will be disbursed through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

The Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution whose term expires in November this year also got a reprieve as MPs finally ignored the National Treasury and gave the commissioners Sh100 million for their gratuity.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko got Sh178 million, majority of which (Sh78 million) will go toward medical insurance for all prosecutors. Witness and victim expenses got Sh50 million, while training of new prosecutors also got Sh50 million.

The National Police Service Commission got Sh121 million while the Independent Police Oversight Authority got Sh80 million.

Some of the beneficiary parastatals include: Kenya Industrial Property Institute which got Sh300 million, Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute got Sh638 million, Kenya Industrial Training Institute got Sh120 million while parastatals in charge of water around the country are to share Sh1.1 billion.

Kenya Wildlife Service lost Sh1.2 billion, after Sh1.5 billion was deducted from its budget, but an allocation of Sh338 million was put in place for compensation of those killed or injured in human-wildlife conflict.