Jubilee, which is seeking a second term in office, is promising to save up to Sh1 trillion through elimination of wastage in the next five years.
Opposition NASA is making a similar pledge, whose achievement is hinged on the establishment of prudent fiscal policies and strict public finance management systems to tame wasteful spending and theft of public funds.
Front-runners in the race to form Kenya’s next government, the ruling Jubilee party and the National Super Alliance’s (Nasa), manifestos have come with striking similarities in critical areas of the economy, leaving voters with hard choices to make in the August 8 General Election.
Top on the list of similarities is the commitment by both parties to reduce wastage in government by at least Sh1 trillion in the next five years – a promise that betrays the rising concern over the shape of public finance.
Jubilee, which is seeking a second term in office, is promising to save up to Sh1 trillion through elimination of wastage in the next five years.
Opposition NASA is making a similar pledge, whose achievement is hinged on the establishment of prudent fiscal policies and strict public finance management systems to tame wasteful spending and theft of public funds.
NASA, which is campaigning on the promise of a clean and less corrupt government, says it will immediately end “the culture of privilege and extravagance” in a country of many unmet needs.
“Spending public money on fleets of expensive cars, opulent offices and other extravagancies, in a country where many people can barely make ends meet, where public facilities are dilapidated, where people with disabilities needs are unmet is unconscionable,” NASA says in the manifesto it launched Tuesday.
While Jubilee plans to establish a General Services Agency (GSA) to manage and support the basic administrative functioning of government, procure all supplies and services, communications, transportation and office space, the opposition coalition is banking on a stronger office of the Auditor- General to conduct value for money checks in an ongoing basis.
NASA is also promising to hold government officers personally responsible for any wasteful public spending, including those who procure goods at prices above the market rates.
The coalition is also promising to blacklist any dodgy suppliers from doing business with the government.
Should it get another five years in office, Jubilee says it will renew the war on corruption through establishment of digitised payments and support speedy judicial process for economic crimes even as it increases the penalties, including jail terms, for such crimes.
The latest official audit of the government said up to Sh14.4 billion spent was on projects that had no value for money.
The Auditor- General’s report for the year 2014/2015 showed that another Sh7.3 billion could not be accounted for.
Topping the list of ministries, departments and commissions that “wasted” public funds were the Interior ministry (Sh4.6 billion), Agriculture (Sh2 billion), electoral commission (Sh1.9 billion), education (Sh1.3 billion), and defence (Sh1.1 billion). The two front runners in the election are promising to tame the wastage through increased transparency and prudent spending.
Like rival Jubilee, NASA, which unveiled its manifesto last evening, has also promised to deliver free secondary education as well as extend government loans to all post-secondary education students, including the use of government bonds to enable them get funds to study.
Both NASA and Jubilee have promised a universal healthcare as well as a focus on irrigation with the former banking on improved water harvesting for small holder farmers while the later promising to build dams for irrigation.
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