Uhuru draws curtains on budget ceremony

By Ferdinand MwongelaHis name means freedom, but his tenure at the Treasury can be anything but free of controversies. He has whizzed from one hiccup to another. As he took the stand before Parliament yesterday, Uhuru made history by presenting the country’s first budget surpassing the one trillion-mark. Uhuru Kenyatta is a man who has been caught up in the thick of things as he presided over a ministry long known to dish out carrots and sticks in equal measure.More poignantly, however, Uhuru is the last Treasury chief to read the budget with pomp.With the new Constitution, the curtain falls on the budget reading ceremony, clocked in, pageantry, awe and secrecy. In the past, traders have been accused of hoarding commodities in anticipation for a rise in prices after budget reading. Uhuru poses with the famed briefcase ahead of last year’s budget presentation. Photo: File/StandardSection 221 (1) of the new Constitution states that "at least two months before the end of each financial year, the Cabinet Secretary responsible for finance shall submit to the National Assembly estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the national government for the next financial year to be tabled in the National Assembly."The estimates will then be subjected to a process of discussion and reviewing that includes recommendations from the public before they are included in an Appropriation Bill.As such, the process will be fairly open and inclusive, a departure from the Westminster-borrowed budget tradition. Ruling on Tuesday on whether Uhuru should read the budget, National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende abolished most of the pomp around the budget presentation. According to www.direct.gov.uk, the United Kingdom, from which most of the traditions emanate, traces its first annual budget to 1720s. The Kenyan budget briefcase borrows from the budget box, a red, leather-covered box that holds the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget speech. The Budget Box was made for William Gladstone in 1860s and retired last year.It carried the Chancellor’s speech to the House for over 100 years. Lord Callaghan was the first Chancellor to break with tradition in 1965 when he used a newer box, and in 1997, Gordon Brown became the second Chancellor to use a modern box. Carrots and sticksTraditionally, Chancellor of the Exchequer is photographed on the steps of 11 Downing Street with the Budget Box. In Kenya’s, Uhuru might well be the last Finance minister to have flashed the black briefcase with the Kenyan Coat of Arms to a waiting public and Press corps as the import of Marende’s ruling came to bite.As Finance minister since January 2009 after Amos Kimunya was hounded out of office, Uhuru has faced both stiff and stinging criticism and spasmodic bouts of admiration from foes and allies. Significantly, his stint in politics has been marked by several firsts, and of course, lasts. He is one of the country’s first two deputy Prime Ministers, and with the new Constitution, the last. He is also one of the first Kenyans to appear before the International Criminal Court for human rights violations.He is also the first minister to be holding such a critical office with accusations of international crimes facing him.From stumbling into politics 14 years ago, he has risen through the political ranks to one of the country’s key political figures. However, the focus now is on Uhuru the Minister for Finance. Lowest ebbThis will be the third budget he will be reading since his appointment – having read 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 budgets.His lowest ebb on the seat at Treasury will have to be the infamous 2009 "typing error". In April 2009, Uhuru presented a supplementary budget to Parliament to cover a budget gap. The figure of Sh22 billion was passed down from the presented estimate of Sh38 billion. However, a discrepancy of Sh9.2 billion was noticed, meaning that Parliament had approved Sh31 billion and not the figure they thought of, Sh22 billion. The ruckus that followed saw Uhuru attribute the problem to a ‘typing error’. Accusations and counter-accusations followed but Uhuru was lucky as the Joint Finance and Budgetary Committee cleared him of wrong doing. June the same year, he presented a budget of Sh867 billion. In June last year, the budget figures rose to Sh977 billion that the minister said was themed "Towards inclusive and sustainable rapid economic growth."The 2011-2012 budget debate again puts Uhuru in trouble that he did not submit the estimates as required and is therefore in breach of the new Constitution.

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