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Mutava team cedes Sh3bn to CDF

Committee chairman Mutava Musyimi told the House they transferred the money following a meeting with a section of members who had opposed the 51 member team allocating itself the funds /FILE

Committee chairman Mutava Musyimi told the House they transferred the money following a meeting with a section of members who had opposed the 51 member team allocating itself the funds /FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – The Parliamentary Budget and Appropriations Committee has given into MPs demands and re-allocated the Sh3 billion which had had initially been budgeted for public hearings has been re-allocated to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Committee chairman Mutava Musyimi told the House they transferred the money following a meeting with a section of members who had opposed the 51 member team allocating itself the funds to conduct public hearings in 13 counties.

“I personally benefited from the deliberations and it is with that in mind that we have deleted the item for public hearings, the entire amount of Sh3 billion,” Mutava told the House as he presented an amended version of his Committee’s recommendations on the 2015/16 Budget Policy Statement.

In the revised allocations, the Committee proposes the National Treasury allocates Sh1.38 billion to the completion of Economic Stimulus Project (ESP) Centres of Excellence initiated under the CDF, Sh225 million for ESP Jua Kali Shed projects started under the CDF.

The House team allocated Sh2.1 billion to the Social Affirmative Action which will be run by the 47 County Woman Representatives while the Uwezo Fund received Sh1.45 billion respectively.

The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) received an additional Sh4.1 billion after Kitutu Chache MP Jimmy Angwenyi who sits as a commissioner in Parliamentary Service Commission urged the House team against reducing the budget from Sh28.2 billion.

“The additional amount is covered by Sh1 billion for mileage claims, Sh1.7 billion for committees, Sh1 billion for personal emoluments and allowances, Sh1.3 billion for constituency and county offices and almost Sh1 billion for other items which is a 10 percent increase estimated due to inflation and other factors which may have a bearing on our expenditure,” Angwenyi told the Budget Committee.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) requested for an additional Sh5.8 billion for the smooth transition and operationalisation of the 28 tribunals from their parent ministries to the Judiciary.

“The parent ministries never budgeted for these tribunals nor did the Judiciary. If we don’t fund all these tribunals, all the matters that are pending before these quasi-judicial bodies will come to halt. What this means, Mr Chair, is that all the litigants will have no access to litigation because the High Court does not have jurisdiction to hear any matter before a tribunal,” Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi explained.

MPs in the Committee denied it allocated itself more than Sh300 million to fund roads in their constituencies.

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Musyimi said the allegations made by some of their colleagues are untrue as there were no estimates before the Committee yet.

Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo said the 51-member committee allocated themselves the money.

“Our role is to interrogate the budget. We are merely participating in the budget-making process,” Midiwo said.

Musyimi’s Committee has also recommended the ceiling for the Judiciary be maintained at Sh18 billion and that of the PSC being Sh28 billion.

The Committee also recommended Sh1 billion be allocated to the Auditor-General and Sh750 million be allocated to the EACC to open county offices.

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