Ruto offices receive Sh11.6b, Gachagua, Mudavadi get Sh4.9b

State House, Nairobi. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

President William Ruto stands to gain significant budgetary allocations to his office, following recommendations to top up Sh600 million on the National Treasury's proposed 2023/2024 estimates.

The National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee has proposed allocations that would see the Office of the President (OP) and State House jointly take up Sh11.6 billion, up from the Sh11 billion estimate tabled by the Treasury.

In estimates tabled in Parliament, the Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro-led committee delinked State House from the Office of the President, allocating it (State House) Sh7.3 billion. The Office of the President will get Sh4.3 billion.

Treasury had estimated State House's affairs to cost the taxpayer Sh6.8 billion in the next financial year.

The committee agreed to the Sh1.1 billion figure the Treasury estimated for government printing services, and a subsequent Sh2.4 billion for general administration, planning and support services.

If Parliament approves the report of the Budget Committee, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's office will get Sh3.7 billion while Musalia Mudavadi's Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary will get the Sh1.2 billion.

These are the figures that the Treasury had submitted as the 2023/2024 financial year's estimate.

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The Executive will get the lion's share of the Sh2.3 trillion budget, gobbling up Sh2.24 trillion, an increase from the Sh2.16 trillion the Treasury estimated.

With a budget estimate of Sh323.8 billion, up from the initially proposed Sh322.8 billion, the Teachers Service Commission tops the list of the most funded State agencies, followed by the Roads Department at Sh249.7 billion. The submitted estimates had estimated allocations for roads at Sh245.5 billion.

Other big earners are the Department of Defence with an allocation of Sh144.9 billion, Basic Education at Sh147.8 billion, the Treasury's Sh130.5 billion and Higher Education at Sh128.6 billion. The National Police Service will get an allocation of Sh106.5 billion, down from the proposed Sh106.9 billion.

Health services

Another top earner is the State Department for Medical Services at Sh116.6, despite the amount being a drop from the nearly 116.7 initially proposed.

Medical Services cater for national referral and specialised services, curative and reproductive maternal newborn, child and adolescent health, health research and innovations as well as general administration.

On the other hand, the Public Health Department has been allocated Sh24.6 billion up from Sh23.6 billion to cater for preventive and promotive health services, health resources development and innovation, health policy, standards and regulations and general administration.

The Judiciary is set to receive Sh23 billion, a marginal increase from the Sh22.9 billion proposed by the Treasury, with Parliament earning an allocation of Sh41 billion, up from the Treasury's estimate of Sh40.4 billion.