Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakang’o tables a shocking audit reports disclosing that government has spent little on development
National Assembly Committee Chair on Finance and Planning Kimani Kuria assured the controller that lawmakers shall protect her for her bold revelations
The Government of Kenya used only Ksh 197.4 billion representing 15.4 percentum on development out of an allocation of Ksh 783.22 billion in the first six months for the Financial Year 2023/2024
This is according to Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakang’o, who told National Assembly Committee on Finance and Planning that the balance of Ksh 585.82 billion could not be traced since there were no audit reports supporting the gaps
On domestic and foreign travels, the CoB raised red alarm that government has so far spent Sh11.8 billion within the six months in the period under review compared to 8 billion shillings in FY2022/2023
“Governance and Justice, law and order were among the departments that received Sh 48.6 per cent out of the accounted funds with education sector getting 30.78 per cent,” Nyakang’o disclosed
National governments original gross budget for 2023/2024 amounted to Ksh 4.34 trillion before revised to Ksh 4.54 trillion in supplementary budget 1 compared to Ksh 3.67 trillion in the previous year
Shockingly, the controller told Kimani Kuria led committee that 11 Ministries and Departments did not receive any amounts for development despite their budgetary requests to the exchequer for development vote
Nineteen others received below 10 per cent from the exchequer release
“This comprised of Ksh 807.64 billion representing 3 per cent decline (Ksh 24.42 billion) and Ksh 1.56 trillion for ministerial recurrent expenditure revised to Ksh 1.68 trillion representing Ksh 7.4 per cent increment,” the report indicated
However, State Department for Culture and Heritage as well as Petroleum received zero records in the first half of the review
Office of the Attorney General, Judiciary, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, National Lands Commission, Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission were never given any money for development as they recorded zero receipts
Twelve [12] MDAs received over 50 per cent of the total exchequer releases
Eleven [11] MDAs did not receive any development exchequer for the period under review
Eight [8] MDAs received the proportion of exchequer issues to revised net estimates at below 30 per cent
“In the first six months of Financial Year 2023/2024 exchequer issues to CFS were Ksh 667.95 billion representing 32.1 percentum of the annual net estimates compared to 35.4 per cent ksh 555.81 per cent issued in the previous year financial year,” she stated
CFS comprises funds allocated towards repayment of public debts, government guaranteed loans to parastatals, pensions and gratuities, salaries and allowances to constitutional office holders and miscellaneous services and subscriptions to international organisations