Implementing BBI proposals would cost at least Ksh.20B annually

The exchequer will have to dig deeper in the next financial year to finance the proposed changes to the 2010 constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI)

This is according to the parliamentary budget office which carried out a costing of the proposal.

According to the parliamentary budget office report submitted to the Senate Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, the increase in the membership of the national assembly to 360 through the creation of 70 new constituencies will result in the ballooning of the parliamentary budget.

The current cost of maintaining a member of the national assembly is Ksh.4.4 million per month which includes their earnings and allowances.

Currently, the overall cost of running the national assembly stands at Ksh.18.5 billion.

If the constitution amendment bill 2020 is enacted, the cost of maintaining the 453 members in the 2022/2023 financial year will jump to Ksh26.3 billion- an increase of Ksh. 7.8 billion.

It costs Ksh3.6 billion to run the senate at the moment but with the proposal that will see the number rise to 94 members, the cost will rise by Ksh.1.8 billion to Ksh.5.4 billion.

In total the parliamentary service commission will require an additional Ksh.9.6 billion to run the bicameral parliament in the 2022/23 financial year.

In the 2020/21 Financial Year the constituencies were allocated Ksh39.8 billion shillings where each constituency received Ksh. 137.1 million.

If additional money is not appropriated and the 360 constituencies share the 39.8 billion, there will be a reduction of 27 million shillings per constituency where each will get Ksh.110 million.

This however is subject to further review. If the 70 new constituencies are allocated an equal share as this financial year, additional resources will be needed.

The new Prime Minister position which according to the parliamentary budget office is similar to the office of the Deputy President will require equal resources to run it that is Ksh.1.5 billion.

The two deputy prime minister positions will be allocated 80 percent of the prime ministers budget which is Ksh.1.2 billion each, annually.

The parliamentary budget office however avers that no additional resources will be needed to run the established office of the leader of the official opposition since the individual will take up the office of the current minority leader.

The proposal to create the youth commission will have the taxpayer digging deeper, the parliamentary budget office estimates that Ksh.757 million will be required to finance it in the first year however in the subsequent years the budget will rise to Ksh. 3.2 billion and 3.3 billion, the increase in the expenditure attributed to the decentralisation of the office to the remaining 46 counties…

Given the budgetary burden highlighted the proposals. All eyes now are on the committees on what recommendations they will make and whether they will propose further changes to the bill.