Following recent comments on this blog about skewed national resource allocation and suggestions to bloggers to send-in proposals to Treasury which they feel might be included into the forthcoming government financial year budget, the following is reposted here at Kumekucha for the benefit of the many Kenyan citizens and tax payers who visit this blog. This is an opportunity for patriotic citizens to show that they can also, in their own small way, play a constitutionally given role in shaping the destiny of this country.
NOTICE ON PROPOSALS FOR THE BUDGET FOR F/Y 2008/2009
This article was first published at Bungle La Mwananchi.
Mwananchi 2008/9 Budget-Put your Thumprint!
Bunge La Mwananchi proposes that the Government's budget should be balanced at 60:40 where 60% is development and 40% recurrent expenditures.
Kenya's 2008/9 budget year (commencing 15th June, 2008) is almost here!
Bunge La Mwananchi (Kenya People's Parliament ) is working on delivering a MWANANCHI BUDGET before Hon. Amos Kimunya gives us the GRAND POLITICAL BUDGET.
In this regard, we are currently studying previous years' budgets to identify trends and priorities in Government expenditures so as to bring those areas into sharp focus. Bunge La Mwananchi proposes that the Government's budget should be balanced at 60:40 where 60% is development and 40% recurrent expenditures.
Let me give you a sneak preview of some of the things we are discovering:
For the last 5 years, the State House budget allocation for transport has been as follows:
Firstly, State House is said to have 149 official cars. This is not easy to establish, but for argument's sake we will work with the figure of 149 cars. Further, each car is budgeted to consume 114 litres of fuel per day. Surely, besides maybe the President's Limousine, there is no car in Kenya that has the tank capacity of over 100 litres of fuel. Even further investigation reveals that all that is required to account for the 114 litres of fuel used per day, is for one to produce a receipt for that amount of litres from any petrol station. A rather dubious accounting mechanism that raises alot of questions in any self respecting audit. To qualify that, the account's receipt doesnot show the automated fuel pump's reading.
Taking it further, we will recall that in the last 5 years, save for the Referendum and the General Election which were ostensibly not Government affairs but political parties affairs, President Kibaki did not travel from State House much. If you do some quick math of amount of fuel allocated over that period of time (149 cars X 114 litres of fuel per car per day X 365 days X 5 years) you will arrive at a whooping 30,999,450 litres of fuel. Take it a step further and translate that into shillings at an average of 65/= per litre... K.Shs. 2,014,964,250. Yes, it is over K.Shs. 2 billion...
And that is only one area of one government department's expenditure. A literal tip of the iceberg. You would be shocked if you dug deeper into other departments and contextualized the findings!
The billion shilling question is, where did all this fuel really go? Who might have spent the EXTRA money and on what?
Fellow Kenyans and friends of Kenya, we must not allow this kind of loop holes in the management of our taxes and resources to go on unchallenged. General save face statements from the Finance Minister in assessing past financial years must no longer be accepted unaudited. Bunge La Mwananchi urges you to consider looking at our previous budgets, especially the last 5 years and find out areas where we should expose the Government's fraudulent expenditures so that we can identify mis-allocated resources and earmark priority areas in which to put to use the "recovered" money in developing Kenya.
Bunge La Mwananchi envisages an adjusted and practical budget that results in the national Constituency Development Fund (CDF) receiving a boost of as much K.Shs. 200 billion for the 2008/9 financial year and thereby allow each constituency to receive at least KSh. 1 billion for constituency
We urge you to study the previous budgets, make your proposals and leave your thumbprint on the 2008/9 budget. Let us also utilize Bunge La Mwananchi website www.bulamwa.co.ke discussion forums to further deliberations.
In the setting the agenda for our leaders,
George Nyongesa
Bunge La Mwananchi
+254 720 451 235
www.bulamwa.co.ke
PS.
ReplyDeleteTreasury invitation for proposals is already elapsed, but Mr. George Nyongesa of BLM is receiving proposals.
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ReplyDeleteITS ALL FUTILE
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Why waste your precious time writting materials that will neither be read nor implemented? Kenyans do not understand how to use what is available to them, do they? When they're supposed to vote out the greedy leaders, they vote along tribal lines.
And when the greedy leaders get down to the bussiness of 'swallowship', Kenyans start yapping all over and throwing a thousand proposals on how to spend the money to the greedy big stomached politicians.
Its like throwing a journal on hygiene to a pig. I guess the pig will pass? Thats right. I thought so.
Bunge la mwananchi,
ReplyDeleteThnaks indeed and for kumekucha to share this with us.
Now from my rudimentary budgeting lessons, too much or too less is a problem. In some town in Europe there is this problem with garbage. Big problem that a prime minister was shown the way. This is real.
The problem was - there was too much money for the project, that everyone never wanted the problem soughted out. If it was soughted the guys would be hungry.
Likewise, the problem with Kenya is too much money for projects. Take the case of Bomas, this was a case of too much money and conflict of interest. The people there wanted teh whole thing to extend their life time. It was a cash cow. By the way every participant to Bomas is corrupt and owes money to Kenyans. They milked Kenya in teh name of working for Kenya. To this end,
1. i propose the constitution making should be given zero - we should recoup from teh participants. Otherwise we provide incentives to them, teh whole thing will drag for ever. I join lsk in asking Kenyans to work pro bono - do you because you think of Kenya.
2. All ministers and MPs should have their salaries and allowances taxed.
3. Kenya should not have more top of teh range mercedes than germany. All ministers should use Toyota vehicles or rest they walk.
4. State house to share tehvehicles with the ministry of north eastern, metroplitan, prime minsiter etc. No new purchase of salon vehicles for the next three years. There should be a moratorium.
5. Police to be insured in their course of duty. Wao pia ni wazazi na jamaa wetu. We need them more than they need us.
6. to curb wastage - Tenders and awards should eb announced and profiles of company given.
8. Infrastructure budget(roads), education and health and agriculture and livestock should not be reduced
Mzee wa kijiji
Now this is proper progressive substance; Compared to the tribal and often regressive sanctimonious tosh that we have resulted to being fed on a daily basis...; Chris, please take note
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to achieve the budgetary ratio of 60% developement and 40% recurrent expenditures. But how do we achieve it when we have to pay for the Grand Coalition Cabinet of hungry pigs which is supervised and coordinated by Raila? For example, how do you stop Raila from importing a German custom-made limousine without his tribesmen accusing you of undermining their saviour? Can't you learn from what is happening to Ababu? How do you trim the budget of Ntimama's ministry without him gathering all the Maasais at Suswa to chase away "foreigners." Yes, my heart is willing to join you in this fight but my rational mind says no. Having come from throwing stones for ODM, I feel exhausted and shortchanged with nothing to show for my scars except a deferred dream. This is not Kimunya's budget, it the budget of a Grand Coalition of Robbers, and I have no more stones to throw. See you in 2012!!
ReplyDeleteI have to say I really enjoyed this post Phil. Chris, note what Bobie has said.
ReplyDeleteGoing by this article and what happens in Kenya, it seems people at the treasury have established a corruption squad to make sure corruption runs rampant in this country, no one ever talks about it, no one ever asks how tax is administered, yet they will hound and threaten you and make you stand at Times Towers for hours on end to make sure you pay your taxes. The government is very happy to run its business proper systems in place like the use of computers because they have perfected the practices of stealing properly, intransparency and unaccountability in their operations.
Its sad that Kenyans have been reduced to the status described by Forest Gump (that of having their ideas trashed and all these grand ideas suggested being an exercise in futility). It would have been a brilliant thing if wananchi proposals were implemented but anyway what am I thinking?! This is Kenya, a reverse Robinhood society, where the rich steal as much as they can from the poor.
The saddest thing being, when these thieves come begging for votes next time we will all close our eyes and give them a fresh mandate to go rob us again!
The Thief in Chief promised free secondary education.
ReplyDeleteToday we are paying nearly the same amount, if not more, of fees as last year.
KENYA SHOULD BUDGET FOR FREE SECONDARY EDUCATION in ALL PROVINCIAL SCHOOLS for POOR STUDENTS.
CHILDREN of MPs, CEOs and senior civil servants should pay 160,000Sh per year.