National Treasury, CS Henry K. Rotich  2017/2018 budget statement comes early due to the upcoming August 2017 general elections. The budget report was delivered in parliament on Thursday, the 30th March 2017 (today).

Download CS HENRY ROTICH FULL BUDGET SPEECH HERE

Parliamentary Budget Office, March 2017 Budget Analysis

To be able to determine to what extent the budget has met its intended objectives as well as highlight any fiscal and budgetary risks therein, the analysis has adopted a five point criteria for assessing the budget.The aim of the criteria is to measure the responsiveness of the 2017/18 medium term budget to expected performance; underscoring the prevalent strengths of the budget but also highlighting gaps and inadequacies that have in the past contributed to fiscal and budgetary risks and that need to be addressed in line with international best practices. Some of the questions that determine how the budget will look like include;

• What is in the budget for 2017/18 and the medium term for a Kenyan Youth graduate who has been ‘tarmacking’ since 2014 after graduation and has no prospects of employment?
• What is in the budget for 2017/18 and the medium term for a Kenyan who has been trying to set up a small-scale industry?
• What is in the budget for 2017/18 and the medium term for a farmer who has been affected by drought and lost his investment in the farm?

 

About Kenya 2017/2018 Budget: PBO statement

This is the last budget to be prepared under the Jubilee administration, as the country prepares for the general elections that will be held in August 2017. It was tabled in the National Assembly on  30th March 2017; before the constitutional deadline of April. This was as a result of a revised budget calendar to allow for timely deliberation and approval of the budget, taking into account the preparation of the 2017 general elections. As such, the implementation as well as foreseeable impact of the 2017/18 budget on economic growth and development is fraught with significant downside risks; typical of an election year.

Being an election year budget, the first and most obvious risk to the implementation of this budget emanates from an uncertain business environment that may erode investor confidence due to the uncertainty that typically surrounds election years. Secondly is the likelihood of increased election related spending which will mainly drive consumption and fuel inflation thereby destabilizing the macro-framework; an outcome that will pose significant risk not just to budget implementation but also performance of the economy.

The National Treasury has indicated that the economic policy of the 2017/18 budget is to consolidate the economic gains of the transformation agenda that was started four years ago. This is in addition to the strategic interventions that were started in the FY 2013/14 budget. The focus of the budget is therefore on key government flagship projects in; Energy and Infrastructure such as Loiyangalani Suswa transmission line, Olkaria lessos power lines construction project, Eastern Electricity Highway project (Ethiopia Kenya Interconnector), multinational Kenya Tanzania power connection project, Last Mile Connectivity, street lighting, Mombasa Port Area Roads Development Project / dongokundu bypass, Low volume seal roads, Northern Corridor Transport Improvement Project, Southern Sudan Eastern Africa Transport Trade and Development Facilitation among other key projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway and LAPSSET. There are also ongoing irrigation projects like Galana Kulalu as well as Mwea irrigation project.

It has also been stated that this budget is implementing the third medium term plan of Vision 2030. There is need therefore to review the major achievements under the second medium term plan as well as the status of implementation of key projects under this plan. This has not been provided.

Download CS HENRY ROTICH FULL BUDGET STATEMENT HERE

Summary of fiscal Year 2017/2018 budget statement

 

• Energy, Infrastructure and ICT
• Education Sector: Free primary education
• Public Administration and International Relations
• Governance, Justice, Law and Order
• National Security: Police modernization, Military modernization, Construction of Forensic
  Laboratory
• Environmental Protection, Water and Natural Resources
• Health: free maternity (allocated 4.3 billion), universal health coverage
• Social Protection, Culture and Recreation
• Agricultural, Rural and Urban Development, Bulk procurement of fertilizer and assorted seeds, Development of agriculture technology innovation centre, Strengthening mechanization, Small scale irrigation and value addition project
• Devolution
• Energy: Rural Electrification Authority, last mile
• Dealing with Corruption
• HELB-allocated 10 billion

 

Money Allocated

 

• Ksh 250 million allocated to support initiatives to the ease the cost of doing
• Ksh 8.1 billion allocated for leasing of police service vehicles
• Ksh 24.8 billion allocated for police and military modernization
• Ksh 12 billion allocated for enhanced security operations
• Ksh 0.9 billion allocated  for the construction and equipping of the national forensic laboratory
• Ksh 2.0 billion allocated for securitizing our borders.
• Ksh 5.1billion allocated for Police and Prison Officers medical Insurance Scheme
• Ksh 1.7 billion allocated for Group Life Insurance for Police
• Ksh 36 billion allocated to Parliament
• Ksh 18.1 billion allocated to the Judiciary in this budget.
• Ksh 19.3 billion allocated in the FY 2016/17 to cater for electoral related operations
• Ksh 21.4 billion allocated in the FY 2017/18 to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
• Ksh 4.0 billion allocated to the Ethics and AntiCorruption Commission
• Ksh 210.7 million  allocated to the Assets Recovery Agency;
• Ksh 300 million allocated to Financial Reporting Centre
• Ksh 6.7 billion allocated to the Criminal Investigations Services
• Ksh 6.1 billion to the Office of the Attorney General
• Ksh 329.3 billion allocated to county government

 

For complete  allocations Kindly Download CS HENRY ROTICH March 2017 FULL BUDGET STATEMENT HERE and allocations

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Do not miss our Latest updates on the full speech of the Kenya Budget 2017/2018 and summary of statement issued by  CS Henry Rotich in parliament