Infrastructure gets lower provision

By James Anyanzwa

NAIROBI, KENYA: The ministry of Transport and infrastructure will receive Sh125.72 billion from this year’s budget as the Jubilee Government moves to fast track implementation of projects meant to propel the county into a middle-income status by 2030.

But the amount is lower compared to the allocation of Sh268 billion in last year’s budget. The Government is seeking to facilitate provision, maintenance and management of quality roads infrastructure in support of Vision 2030 aspirations and to facilitate safe, efficient, accessible and sustainable transport services.

Of this amount Sh102.92 billion will go towards infrastructure development, while Sh22.79 billion will be reserved for recurrent spending.

Road Development, Maintenance and Management will receive Sh77.17 billion, Transport   Management and Safety (Sh4.27 billion), while General Administrative services (Sh44.27 billion).

Within the context of the 2013/2014 Budgetary Allocation, the ministry of Transport and infrastructure is expected to focus on completion of on-going road projects in addition to maintaining the already existing road network, rehabilitation and maintenance of the ramps and jetties at Mombasa.

The ministry will also deal with rehabilitation and maintenance of airstrips across the country, operationalisation of the National Road Safety Council, development of Second Port at Mombasa, expansion and modernization of the Isiolo Airport, establishment of transport offices in the counties and implementation of the LAPSSET project.

In the last budget (2012/2013), the Government increased allocation to infrastructure by 21 per cent to Sh268 billion with hopes of securing additional financing from the private sector.

Key projects included ports, energy, road and rail. But there is urgent need to address the ministry’s absorption capacity for development funds including procurement and implementation challenges.

 The Office of the Controller of Budget has raised concerns over failure to utilize development funds due to rigid procurement procedures and donor funding conditionalities.

Official data shows that only 36.6 per cent of the development vote for the period July 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012 was spent. This poor use of budgetary allocations is a worrying trend and one that jeopardises efforts aimed at achieving the Vision 2030.

It is feared that the non-utilisation of budgetary allocations would jeopardise the country’s efforts of attaining vision 2030.