Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich is the man of the moment. At 3p.m. today, the soft-spoken man will be in Parliament to deliver the third budget statement of the Jubilee administration. A budget statement is the best way to measure a government's priorities for the year ahead.
The career economist will be expected to articulate and defend Kenya's ballooning appetite for spending at a time when the Government is under pressure to cut down on wasteful expenditure.
The taxman, who shoulders the burden of collecting money to pay the Government's bill, will today know which tools to use to collect at least Sh1.2 trillion from the Kenyan taxpayer.
The business community and ordinary Kenyans will also be on the lookout to see how Rotich plans to tax their businesses and salaries in the financial year 2015-16 that begins in three weeks.
Rotich, who comes from a humble background, will be hard-pressed to outline goodies on the wish list of many Kenyans. He will tell Kenyans how the Government will create jobs, reverse the direction of the economy and shield them from the rising cost of living.
A peek into the budget shows Rotich will say the spending plan is aimed at creating a conducive business environment, rejuvenating agriculture and expanding infrastructure. He will carry the weight of fulfilling the wishes of the Judiciary, Parliament, constitutional commissions and the Executive on one hand and balance it with the realities of available revenue on the other.
Among the goodies, Rotich will announce that every police station will receive a trained dog in the new financial year as the Government takes security enhancement a notch higher. He will also say how the Government will supply sunscreen lotions to 3,500 persons living with albinism while another 4,000 persons with disability will be provided with assistive and supportive devices.
The CS will also boast of the new policy in the transport sector known as 'enjoy now, pay later', which will allow the department of infrastructure to build 8,000 kilometres of new roads in the next four financial years. He will give details of the Standard Gauge Railway, progress on Standard One laptops and measures to contain the wage bill.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join