Written by West Fm 2012-04-24 21:11:00 Read 990 Times

On 08/06/2011 the Budget Statement Estimates for the Government of Kenya for the financial year from 1^st July, 2011 to 30^th June, 2012 was presented to Parliament by the then Finance Minister Honourable Uhuru Kenyatta. 

It is now less than three months to 30^th June, 2012 and when the financial year 2011 to 2012 comes to a close.  West fm asks the question whether the elected leadership of Western Province and North Rift are able to demonstrate to the residents of the region that all the National Budgetary Resources earmarked, allocated for development projects in the region have been delivered to the region or not?  If those resources stated in the Budget Estimates for the region for the now about to end financial year have not reached the region, what explanation is there for such failure? 

West fm notes that with the famine situation that hit parts of Kenya in late 2011 and Kenya’s launch of a military operation in Somaliland to contain and defeat the Al Shaabab forces there is no doubt that the Budgetary Statement Estimates presented to the Parliament on 08^th June, 2011 have over the year been substantially re-arranged and with the real likelihood of development projects being the key victims of financial resource re-allocations  and sacrifice to cater for the famine and the war in Somalia that emerged unforecast and unprovided for in the Budget of June 2011-2012 when it was presented on 08^th June, 2011. 

West fm states that it will be the height of elected leadership and the citizenry’s irresponsibility if Western Province and North Rift do not interrogate, evaluate, scrutinize and analyze whether or not the region is on course to receive its full share of the budgetary resources allocated to it in the Budget Estimates unveiled on 08^th June, 2011 for the financial year 2011 to 2012.

It is a known secret that as the Financial Year draws to an end Budgeted fiscal resources that have not been up-taken by various ministries are then pounced on by Treasury and operatives in other Ministries to execute last minute utilization by moving the unutilized resources from any part of Kenya to another just to fulfill exhaustion of the funds and in the process execute massive corruption and plunder of the unutilized resources in disguise of last minute projection implementation. 

West fm has reason to be apprehensive that as the political leaders indulge in the orgy of the politics of succession to President Kibaki and their re-election in this or that office there is a real danger that Western Province and North Rift will be shortchanged in the 2011 to 2012 National Budget Project Implementation for the region.  Can the elected members of Parliament and Councilors come forward and catalogue what development projects were allocated budgetary resources in the region and confirm that those funds have come and will be exhausted prior to the end of the financial year on 30^th June, 2012. 

It is a dereliction of the citizens civic duty to hold elected  leaders accountable for us as region to fail to monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly demand progress reports on how National Budgetary Allocations granted to the region each financial year are utilized, appropriated to improve the condition of the region.  We cannot just as the residents of the region be there to lament about poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment, poor roads and lack of all manner of facilities and services yet we do not track down, scrutinize, monitor how public servants are applying our regions National Cake as voted to us through the National Budget every year. 

West fm challenges the elected leadership and all the residents of Western Province and North Rift to scrupulously interrogate the pace at which and how prudently the region is uptaking its National Budgetary Allocations for the financial year 2011 to 2012 and to ensure that no single shilling voted to the region is returned to Treasury at the end of the financial year on 30^th June, 2012 for the reason that we were unable to use the development vote.  It will be a scandal of the worst proportions for monies allocated to the region through the 2011 to 2012 budget to be returned to Treasury for lack of capacity to utilize it.

Yes, as we pursue the politics of the times let us not loose sight of the National Cake that is voted for the region through the National Budget every year.  Let those aspiring to dethrone the serving elected leaders scrutinize the budgetary allocations project implementation by the incumbent leaders and expose all failures, all corruption, all mismanagement and other misdeeds.  Indeed it is in how elected leaders protect and ensure prudent competent utilization of National Budgetary Allocations that the fight as to who ought to be an elected leader must be fought and only those with solid character and skills to steer that ship of development must be honoured with any office of leadership.

WEST FM EDITORIAL©2012

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