New budget only set to secure Ruto's re-election - MP Mulu

According to the legislator, the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee has failed to allocate money to sectors that are in dire need of funding, among them education and health while fattening the national government's coffers.

Speaking to Citizen TV on Wednesday, the new budget is only set to strategically bolster re-election chances for the ruling administration and deliberately underfund sectors that benefit Kenyans.

"In any budget you will have the Executive pushing agendas to implement their manifesto and therefore moving more to the political side and getting a re-election," he said.

"From my analysis, I think this budget is more of an Executive budget. Most of the programs will be supporting the government to get re-elected."

The budget has allocated Ksh.700.9 billion for education while boosting the national government's funding to Ksh.2.54 trillion and Ksh.150 million to procure and service a social media tracking system.

MP Mulu said that more funds should be allocated to the private sector to boost employment and resuscitate the frail economy.

"Looking at the critical issues affecting the citizens, how much money has gone to the education sector? The money that touches the mwananchi alone is not much," he noted.

"Money benefiting mwananchi should be promoting a conducive environment for the private sector so that it thrives in this economy. If the private sector is doing well then it will employ more people and we will have more money in our pockets."

He further questioned why the Executive has been allocated a plump budget while the money can be appropriated to iron out the issues crippling the health sector.

"The President and the Deputy President's recurrent budget is Ksh.11 billion and the money we require for UHC staff to be fully absorbed is Ksh.8 billion. We've provided about Ksh.4 billion," he added.

The budget and appropriations committee tabled the final budget estimates for the financial year 2025/26 before the National Assembly after weeks of consulting with various government departments.

The National Police Service (NPS) could gain up to Ksh.1.8 billion to finance additional recurrent expenditures as the office of the Inspector General (IG) will receive Ksh.800 million more for police operations and the deputy IG (Administrative Police) gets Ksh.60 million.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is however set to lose Ksh.570 million in total, with the teachers' capacity building vote losing Ksh.620 million and the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya now defunded by up to Ksh.400 million.

University education is also losing Ksh.920 million as a Ksh.405 million reduction will be for primary education which includes a reduction in capitation, while secondary education is set to lose a net of Ksh.4 billion in allocation, including a combined Ksh.5 billion shilling cut in capitation for secondary and junior secondary.

The National Assembly is expected to debate the report and if approved as is, Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi will present the final budget statement.