The winners and losers as MPs revise budget by Sh113.7 billion

The National Police Service is the biggest beneficiary after receiving a Sh7.5 billion boost in the 2024/2025 supplementary estimates approved by Parliament on Thursday.

This was after the House approved the supplementary estimates II which will increase the 2024/2025 financial year budget by Sh113.7 billion. Under the allocation, Sh2.5 billion will be directed towards Haiti peacekeeping mission where Kenya deployed an additional 144 police officers last month.

The funding for Haiti mission comes at a time the country is grappling with a funding freeze imposed by the US government early last month by President Donald Trump.

While substantiating the increased funding to NPS, the Liaison Committee, in its report observations, noted that police operations had been underfunded. “The police operations were severely underfunded with the revised budget having Sh5.334 billion for the entire financial year. Other critically underfunded areas included food and ration by Sh1.464 billion, purchase of police security communication equipment by Sh2 billion and training expenses by Sh432 million among others,” reads the report in part.

In February, the US abruptly halted disbursement of Sh1.7 billion to the Kenya-led Haiti mission comprised of more than 900 officers from Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala and Belize. Largely underfunded, the security mission continues to operate with only a fraction of the planned 2,500 security personnel.

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More allocations under the NPS include that to the National Intelligence Service which was allocated an additional Sh9.8 billion for security related operations while the Ministry of Defence got an additional Sh6 billion mostly towards settlement of pending bills.

The National Assembly approved an additional Sh4.05 billion to State House, an additional Sh956.68 million to the Executive Office of the President, Sh420.4 million to the office of the Deputy President and an additional Sh233.4 million to the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary.

The education sector was allocated an additional Sh18 billion to towards the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) which will be used to cater for insurance shortfalls, teacher promotion and personnel emolument shortfalls. University Education was allocated an additional Sh16 billion, State department for TVETS Sh8 billion, while a further Sh4.2 billion was allocated for the implementation of Universities Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Other allocations include a Sh6.5 billion bump towards the World Bank support of the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Program, and Sh5.26 billion while the reallocation of Sh5.26 billion from secondary school capitation to cater for examination waivers.

In the health sector, an incremental Sh3 billion was allotted for the primary healthcare fund, Sh3 billion for Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund and an additional Sh1.5 billion for recapitalisation of Kemsa.

Other allocations include a Sh1.7 billion upward revision in Appropriation-in-Aid (AIA) for the Kenyatta National Hospital, Sh1.4 billion AlA for Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital, and Sh1 billion towards shortfalls for personnel pay for Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Moreover, Sh1.5 billion was allocated as a stipend for healthcare professional interns and Sh0.6 billion for operationalising Primary Health Care Networks.

In the infrastructure sector, additional allocations include Sh16 billion for the roads sub- sector on account of upward revision of collections to the Road Maintenance Levy Fund due to the additional Sh7 billion that was incorporated into the levy. “The sub sector equally has a reduction of approximately Sh10 billion in GoK and partner funded programmes leaving the net change to approximately Sh6 billion,” adds the report.

Other key changes proposed include an additional Sh8 billion for shortfalls in personnel emoluments to the Kenya Revenue Authority, additional Sh4.6 billion to the State Department for Tourism on account of upward revision in Appropriation-in-Aid (AlA) for the Tourism Promotion Fund, Tourism Fund, Tourism Regulatory Authority and Kenyatta International Convention Centre.

On the flipside, the House adopted the decrease in salaries and allowances for constitutional and independent offices by Sh75.6 million, from Sh4.16 billion to Sh4.08 billion. Notable changes include reductions for the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (Sh33.1 million in gratuity and Sh23 million in allowances) and the Public Service Commission (Sh27.2 million in gratuity). The IEBC got a 50 per cent reduction for the chairman, deputies, and commissioners.