MPs wants special forensic audit on Huduma Namba

Parliament wants a special forensic audit on the Integrated Identity Management System popularly known as Huduma Namba.

This is part of the recommendation by the Budget and Appropriation Committee that has also recommended approval of only a Ksh.49.7 billion to the 2019/20 financial year.

In its report, the committee has taken issue not only with the National Treasury’s spending but also implementation of the budget which the team noted was in total disregard of parliament’s recommendations.

The committee has now recommended that the Auditor General’s office undertake a special forensic audit on the Integrated Identity Management System before an additional Ksh.1 billion it had requested is granted.

On the Universal Health Care, the committee insists that the funds should be channelled to the counties directly as opposed to the current format through the National Government.

The Kimani Ichungwa-led committee took issue with Acting National Treasury CS Ukur Yatani for flouting the law in reducing the Judiciary and Parliament 2019/20 financial year budgets.

Furthermore, the committee said, the plans presented in the supplementary budget would see the public debt hit Ksh.6.4 trillion to worsen the already straining debt burden.

In the supplementary budget, Treasury had presented an Ksh.80.1 billion request to the legislators, largely to support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s big four agenda. This consequently pushed the total financial year budget to above Ksh.3 trillion

But the committee is proposing an overall increase of Ksh.49.77 billion comprising of an increase of Ksh.50.57 in development spending and a reduction of Ksh.799.02 million in recurrent expenditure.

For Parliament and Judiciary, the Kikuyu Member of Parliament and his team are proposing to reduce initial approved budget by Ksh.1.31 billion and Ksh.220 million respectively.

As a result of the new realignment, it is estimated that the fiscal deficit will be Ksh.722.8 billion which is approximately 7.0% of GDP.

The National Assembly is expected to adopt or reject the report before its tabled for debate.