By Jackson Okoth
Kenya: In the next two months, Parliament is expected to debate and approve the 2013/14 budget estimates. This follows tabling of the document before the House yesterday by Majority Leader Adan Duale.
While there were initial fears that the budget cycle would be disrupted if the country went for a run-off, this did not happen. Treasury has submitted to Parliament the estimates two months before the reading of budget speech in June, as per the law.
Public expectation is already high that the Jubilee government will come up with measures to provide jobs and lift the economy from the doldrums.
The Sh1.011 trillion estimates for the year ended June 30, 2014 contain a long list of winners and losers.
This will be the first budget under the newly elected government of President Uhuru Kenyatta. It is also coming at a time when Kenya is transiting into a devolved system of government, the economy is on a downturn with unions pressuring employers to increase wages to deal with escalating high cost of living.
In the 2013/14 financial year, Treasury plans to allocate Sh568.3 billion in recurrent expenditure and Sh442.7 billion in development expenditure, bringing the budget size to Sh1.011 trillion.
Top on the list with highest allocations is the Teachers Service Commission, which has been allocated Sh143.1 billion as gross total expenditure, ostensibly to cater for the recent huge salary increase to teachers. A large bulk of this cash will be used in payment of the new structure of salaries while a portion will also be used to recruit new teachers.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has been allocated Sh130.5 billion made up of Sh97.1 billion as recurrent expenditure and Sh33.5 billion as development expenditure. Also on the list of gainers is the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, which has been allocated Sh125.7 billion made of Sh102.9 billion in development expenditure and Sh22.8 billion in recurrent expenditure.
Technical support
The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government will be allocated Sh108.9 billion. The Ministry of Devolution and Planning has been allocated Sh84.8 made up of Sh16 billion in recurrent and Sh68.3 billion in development expenditure.
A huge chunk of this allocation will be used to enhance implementation of Vision 2030 flagship projects as well as provide technical support services for devolved government. An estimated 32 bus parks are to be constructed in 32 counties, seven informal settlements to be upgraded and 12 dumpsites and six sanitary landfill sites developed in 12 counties.
There is also a plan to construct 102km of road in ten regional urban centres, improvement of sports facilities across the country, construction of wholesale and retail markets and construction of three multipurpose centres for street families in Nyeri, Mombasa and Nairobi.
In view of discovery of oil deposits in parts of Northern Kenya, Treasury has allocated Sh78.5 billion to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
The National Treasury has been allocated Ministry of Defence Sh60.4 billion. On the list of losers is Ministry of Mining, which has been allocated a paltry Sh574 million. While the country has been prospecting for mineral deposits in parts of the country, this allocation will slow down priorities in this crucial sector.
