This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
Published on November 12, 2019, the National Treasury has proposed severe cuts to spending by Parliament and the Judiciary in its re-alignment of government spending for the current 2019/2020 fiscal budget.
Acting Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani has proposed a slash of Ksh.8.5 billion and Ksh.2.9 billion from Parliament and the Judiciary respectively, in his adjustment of Ministerial and State Departments (MDAs) expenditures presented to the National Assembly.
The cuts are expected to hit the Parliamentary Service Commission's general administration and support services, as well as the National Assembly's oversight role. The Judiciary, which was only assured of the reinstatement of its full threshold spend on November 7, will see a hit to its general dispensation of justice.
Other State departments on Treasury's expenditure slashing radar include the State Department of University Education, which has seen a trim of Ksh.1.98 billion from its original allocation, and Treasury's own Planning State department, which sees a retraction of Ksh.5.6 billion.
Ministries aligned to the government's economic transformation agenda will count the largest benefit from the rationalization of government spending, having earned a fuller allocation. The Ministry of Health, for instance, sees a Ksh.22.9 billion jump in appropriations, with the excess funds being additional provisioning for Universal Heal Coverage (UHC).
Development estimates have meanwhile been increased by 12.2 percent to Ksh.790 billion, pushing the government's total expenditure for the year by 2.8 percent to Ksh.3.1 trillion.
