NAIROBI, Kenya, June 10 – A section of Kenyans have expressed low expectations ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s budget reading for the financial year 2021/2022 even as they decried neglect by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani was expected to present the Sh3.6 trillion budget to the public later Wednesday.
Those who spoke to Capital Fm news like Oscar Lawrence blamed the government for always focusing on issues that do not benefit the common mwananchi.
“To me, this budget is for the big people, to spend the money for their own ‘things’, For us life will continue, in fact, it could get worse. I do not expect something good from this year’s budget,” he said.
Lawrence faulted the government for its failure in the education, health, and energy sectors which always receive a huge chunk of the funds even as he said he expected nothing major out of the budget.
He said Kenyans are still suffering from high electricity bills, poor health services, and high education fees year on year.
“People are still suffering in hospitals, our county hospitals have failed, why is that issue are the way they are, when we talk about energy, why is it that the cost of electricity is still high?” he posed.
According to the budget estimate presented by the The Budget Appropriation Committee statement to Parliament Wednesday, Education has been allocated the highest funding at Sh510 billion followed by energy, infrastructure, and ICT whose spending was estimated at Sh401.3 billion.
The proposed spending of National security is Sh170 billion while Sh119.9 billion had been set aside for Health.
Another city resident Stephen Gachie noted that he hoped this year’s budget would be a people-centered one and will focus on major issues affecting Kenyans.
“The government should prioritize major issues affecting the people, more specifically health and Juakali sector, the government needs t think more of the people and less of themselves,” Gachie noted.
According to the budget estimate, the Executive is expected to receive Sh1.89 trillion while Parliament and Judiciary have been allocated Sh37.9 billion and Sh17.8 billion respectively.
The National Treasury has proposed Sh1.29 trillion for the recurrent expenditure while development will get Sh666.5 billion.
Treasury has also projected a revenue collection of Sh2.039 trillion, an increase of Sh210 billion from the current financial year.
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