Two parliamentary committees have raised the alarm over the missing allocation of up to Sh4.5 billion that will go into securing and shipping in Covid-19 vaccines for the second and third phases of inoculation.
According to the Health committee, there is no mention of the acquisition and availability of the vaccine in the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) for the financial year starting July 2021.
No resources have been set aside for the vaccines acquisition, the Health team has warned.
Two parliamentary committees have raised the alarm over the missing allocation of up to Sh4.5 billion that will go into securing and shipping in Covid-19 vaccines for the second and third phases of inoculation.
According to the Health committee, there is no mention of the acquisition and availability of the vaccine in the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) for the financial year starting July 2021.
No resources have been set aside for the vaccines acquisition, the Health team has warned.
While such parliamentary audits are targeted at finding gaps in the BPS and necessitating a correction, we warn that such an omission is a serious gap that should return the Treasury mandarins to the drawing board.
As has been witnessed with the Covid-19 ogre rearing its ugly head, no economy can function properly with the virus hovering dangerously.
This is evident from the job losses and lockdowns that stopped crucial businesses and social functions like schooling for a whole nine months. Due to the virus, Kenya’s normal education calendar will return in 2023 at the earliest, according to the Ministry of Education temporary calendar.
Kenya targets to issue the jab for free to more than 16 million people by the end of the third phase of the jab. It is, therefore, inconceivable that there is no allocation for such a crucial acquisition.
We commend the House teams for raising the alarm and urge the Treasury to amend the document in the earliest possible time.
As a matter of fact, Kenyan citizens and it business partners, including tourists and transporters like the international airlines should be sure that the country is well cushioned from the virus that experts say will be here for long.
When Covid-19 stopped the world from moving, people literally prayed for a vaccine and now a number are available.
It would, therefore, be unthinkable that a major economy like Kenya can be seen to lag in terms of preparedness and swift response.
We urge the Treasury to ensure that there are no delays and gaps and the inoculation programme is not altered due to budgeting.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
