Senate condemns National Assembly over Ksh 1B cut

Senate Deputy Speaker Kembi Getura has strongly condemned the move by the National Assembly to cut the Ksh 1 billion they had been allocated for oversight terming it as ‘unfortunate’.

Kembi said the budget cut comes as a big shock to the Senate to see the National assembly voting for the slashing of 3.3 billion to punish the Senate, Judiciary and Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

The Deputy Speaker who is also the Murang’a County Senator, expressed his disappointment  saying that it was  ‘shameful’ and ‘unfortunate’ for the house to vote against the allocations to punish the three bodies.

Counties will now receive Ksh 287 billion after the National Assembly approved an additional Ksh 3.3 billion following recommendations of a mediation committee.

The National Assembly approved the mediated version of the Division of Revenue Bill that increases funds to the counties by 3.3 billion shillings.

On Wednesday, the MPs slashed the 1 billion shillings that had been allocated to the Senate for oversight roles, as well as 1.3 billion shillings from Treasury and 800,000 shillings that had been allocated to the Judiciary.

MPs reject Senate allocations

At the same time, MPs approved the withdrawal of 50.4 billion shillings from the consolidated fund to cater for the expenditure in Parliament, the Judiciary and the executive until the end of this financial year.

Counties will now get a total of 286.9 billion shillings in the next financial year after this new approval as proposed in the mediated version of the Division of Revenue Bill.

The approval now means level five hospitals will be given 1.5 billion shillings and 1.7 billion shillings will cater for human resource in counties.

The mediation team was led by Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Mutava Musyimi.

MPs supported the move by the mediation team which comprised of 3 MPs and 3 senators but the Senate was denied 1 billion shillings that had been set aside for oversight roles.

The mediation team was formed after MPs rejected the Senate allocation of 291.4 billion shillings to the counties.

The National Assembly also approved the budget estimates of 1 trillion 505 billion and 492 million shillings for the next financial year after the budget and appropriations committee reduced the financial estimates by over 400 billion shillings.