Kenya Budget Statement for the Financial Year 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021 was delivered to the National Assembly on 11th June 2020 by Hon. (Amb.) Ukur Yatani the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Planning.
In the Budget statement the opportunities are to be deciphered, mined by looking at the details and any serious minded, literate Kenyan can access in full the Budget Statement through the National Treasury and Planning Website at www.treasury.go.ke.
It is the idle, the parasitic politicians and the publicity seekers who jump at generalities of criticizing the Budget Statement without having interrogated, examined it and distilled the opportunities hidden therein. It is in the Budget that is the official declaration of how the nation’s cake for the financial year 2020-2021 will be shared across the nation and for the benefit of the millions of Kenyans.
Criticizing the Budget from ignorance and wandering off like a drunkard to other rhetoric of succession politics is the greatest diservice elected leaders, those who masquerade in the political arena, can do for those they lead.
The Budget’s theme states that it’s objective is “Stimulating the Economy to Safeguard Livelihoods, Jobs, Businesses and Industrial Recovery.”
For the noble citizens of the Counties of the former Western Province of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga and neighbouring Trans Nzoia County, the opportunities in the Budget Statement for those who seek to maximize and have a piece of the national cake is to spot and track and partake of the promises that the National Government makes including;
(a) That Kshs. 5 billion has been set aside to rehabilitate road network across the Country and specifically damaged access roads and foot bridges. Here the entrepreneurs have a chance to provide labour.
(b) Kshs. 10 billion to be utilized under the “Kazi Mtaani” Programme in major cities, urban settlements and targeting unemployed youth to be engaged in fumigation, storm water drainage works cleaning markets, rehabilitation and maintenance of access roads, footpath environmental management activities. The programme targets to employ 200,000 youths.
(c) In the Education Sector the Budget provides Kshs. 12.1 billion to construction of additional classrooms in secondary schools.
(d) Kshs. 1.9 billion to provision of at least 250,000 of locally fabricated desks for secondary schools.
(e) Kshs. 2.4 billion for recruitment of 10,000 intern teachers to support the 100% transition to secondary schools.
(f) Kshs. 300 Million to recruitment of 1000 ICT interns to support digital learning in public schools.
(g) Kshs. 3 billion set aside as seed capital to operationalize the Credit Guarantee Scheme to provide affordable credit to micro and small medium enterprises.
(h) Kshs. 500 Million to supply of locally made beds and beddings in public hospitals.
(i) 1.2 billion recruit 5000 healthcare workers.
(j) Kshs. 3 billion to subsidize the supply of farm inputs through the e-voucher system to reach 200,000 small scale farmers.
(k) Kshs. 3.4 billion for expanded community household irrigation.
(l) Kshs. 1 billion to support flood control using local labour in the most affected areas.
(m) Kshs. 540 Million to enhance tree planting programmes across the country using locally sourced seedlings.
(n) Kshs. 712 Million to provide credit to micro, small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing.
The above examples clearly demonstrate that in the Budget outlay 2020-2021 there are latent opportunities and it behoves our people who are determined to improve their living standards to scan the budget with a toothcomb and be able to narrow down on what they can target to exploit, take advantage first before crying foul that there is nothing in the Budget for the region. Get the bird in the Budget then agitate for more. It’s foolhardy to blind yourself to the opportunities in the budget and then cry more than the bereaved for what it is not there. The Budget statement clearly states the economic circumstances the world and Kenya are in due to the COVID-19 pandemic devastation of economies. All economies worldwide have contracted and the National Treasury acknowledges it will have challenges raising taxes to fund the Budget.
Let us be smart, pragmatic and agile to exploit the opportunities inherent in the “Budget statement as it is” first before discouraging the residents on the same. In the current adversity, there are still opportunities for those hungry enough to strategically position themselves to be suppliers of goods and services. Let us be smart, literate to individually examine, understand and exploit the opportunities in the National Budget.