Economy

MPs slash Senate, anti-graft agencies budget after review

MPs have reviewed the supplementary budget tabled in Parliament with the National Assembly and university workers getting additional cash while the Senate and anti-graft agencies getting budget cuts.

Infrastructure projects like Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset), the Konza technopolis and National Fibre Optic Cable Infrastructure got additional funding.

The fight against corruption suffered a huge blow after MPs cut allocations to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions by Sh130 million and Sh284 million respectively.

The reduction appears to target the two agencies’ budget for buying vehicles.

But Energy Cabinet secretary Charles Keter, principal secretaries Joseph Njoroge (Energy) and Andrew Kamau Ng’ang’a (Petroleum) received Sh30 million for purchase of vehicles.

The National Assembly got an additional Sh400 million with the Liaison Committee — tasked with reviewing the supplementary budget — denying Senate Sh332 million for monitoring county governments.

The National Intelligence Service received a shot in the arm after MPs enhanced its budget by Sh200 million for “security operations”.
The committee scrapped the Sh5 billion that the Treasury had set aside for development of solar panels in Garissa.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission chaired by Sarah Serem has once again suffered after MPs reduced its budget by Sh150 million. MPs last year cut SRC budget by Sh200 million. The SRC has been against higher MPs perks. Stalled Lapsset has been given an additional Sh1 billion.