Kenya: $9.6 Million From Constituencies' Fund Transferred to Roads, Education Ministry
Posted on :Saturday , 4th February 2017
The Sh10 billion the High Court slashed from the National Government Constituencies Development Fund will be sent to Roads and Education ministries to be spent on projects identified by Members of Parliament, the National Treasury has said.
At the same time, Sh1 billion originally given to Parliament to buy land for a training institute will be transferred to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission to buy a building, National Treasury Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge has said.
The reallocations are contained in the supplementary budget, through which Treasury has asked MPs to approve the expenditure of an additional Sh75.3 billion.
Dr Thugge told MPs that part of the money would be given to the Infrastructure ministry because lawmakers will go to the ministry and demand that roads in their areas be fixed.
The decision by the National Treasury was criticised by some members of the National Assembly Finance Committee who said roads in constituencies were being managed by county governments.
They were also unhappy with the proposal to reduce funding for school infrastructure from Sh10 billion to Sh5.5 billion.
"The government rarely funds school infrastructure in my constituency," Nambale MP Sakwa Bunyasi said, adding: "I don't want that money to go to roads because that is done by the county government."
The committee's vice-chairman Nelson Gaichuhie suggested the Sh10 billion be diverted to the Education ministry.
Dr Thugge said while the transfers had been made because of requests from MPs, they could be changed if the lawmakers agreed.
Allocating the Sh1 billion to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) met stiff resistance. The commission has already been given Sh500 million for a building.
"There have been plans to have the EACC and the Director of Public Prosecutions housed in one place," the PS said, adding that while there was an agreement with the budget and appropriations committee last year to give Parliamentary Service Commission the money for the land, the plan had changed.
"Why not give the Sh1 billion to the EACC to buy the building already identified?" he asked.
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