A budget review report by the Controller of Budget indicates that the Government huge chunks of its cash on paying teachers’ salaries, transfers to semi-autonomous state agencies and footing the bill for domestic and foreign travel by civil servants.
A quarterly report by the Controller of Budget, covering the period between July and September 2019 shows that National Treasury spent KSh 60.5 billion on Teachers Service Commission (TSC). It spent a further KSh31.5 billion on State Department for Early Learning, KSh25.2 billion on Ministry of Defence and allocated KSh 20.7 billion to the State Department for Interior.
The Government also spent KSh13.8 billion on University Education, KSh 9.2 billion on National Intelligence Service, KSh8.2 billion on planning, KSh 7.6 billion on National Treasury, KSh7.1 billion on Infrastructure and KSh.6.6 billion on Health.
Out of an annual budget of KSh 3.1 trillion, the Kenya Government spent KSh.48 billion of development, KSh.468 billion on Recurrent Expenditure and disbursed KSh.55.1 billion to County Governments.
Analysis of the recurrent expenditure, between July and September 2019, shows that public servant wages were the highest spending category at KSh.98.8 billion and represented 42.1 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)
According to the National Government Budget Implementation Review Report, Q1 of 2019/20 financial year, 2019/20 the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) reported the highest expenditure on Personnel Emoluments(PE) at KSh.59.9 billion, accounting for 60.6 per cent of the total personnel emoluments as reported by MDAs.
The second highest expenditure item was current transfers to Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) at Kshs.91.3 billion, or 38.9.1 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure.
Domestic travel was the third highest expenditure category at Kshs.2.2 billion followed by foreign travel at Kshs.1.4 billion.
In the period between July and September 2019, transfers to SAGAs amounted to KSh.91.3 billion. The highest transfer was reported by the Ministry of Defence at KSh.24.9 billion as a transfer to Kenya Defence Forces representing 27.3 per cent of the total amount spent under this category.
The 2019/20 Budget allocation for the education sector was KSh.494.8 billion representing 18.1 per cent of gross national budget, an increase from Kshs.442.3 billion allocated in the 2018/19 financial year.
The allocation comprised of KSh.25.5 billion (5.2 per cent) for development expenditure and KSh.469.3 billion (94.8 per cent) for recurrent expenditure.
The Teachers Service Commission received the highest budgetary allocation of KSh.252.9 billion (51.1per cent of the sector’s allocation), while the State Department for Post Training and skills development had the lowest budgetary allocation of KSh.0.2 billion (less than 1 per cent of the sector’s allocation).
This report by the Controller of Budget has been prepared with the laws which require the Controller of Budget to submit to both Houses of Parliament a report on the implementation of the budgets of both the National and County Governments every four months.
The report covers the period from July to September, 2019 and presents the status of budget implementation by the National Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
It is based on analysis of approved budget of MDAs and Consolidated Fund Services (CFS), receipts into and withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund and expenditure performance, which is expressed as a percentage of the gross budget.
The total expenditure by the National Government in the first three months of 2019/20 financial year amounted to KSh.564.2 billion, representing 20.6 per cent of the annual gross estimates.
This expenditure consisted of KSh.235 billion on recurrent programmes by MDAs, representing 19.2 per cent of the gross recurrent estimates, Kshs.229.5 billion on Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) representing 28.5 per cent of the annual gross estimates and KSh.99.7 billion spent on development activities.
This represents an absorption rate of 14.2 per cent.
During the period under review (July-September 2019) the Government’s revenue amounted to KSh.637.4 billion, representing 24.5 per cent of the annual target (KSh.2.6 trillion).
The Government spent KSh.48 billion on development, KSh.230.6 billion towards MDAs recurrent expenditure, Kshs.237.4 billion towards Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) and 55.1 billion to Country Governments as sharable revenue from the National Government.
Out of a Total Expenditure of KSh. 564.2 billion, KSh99.7 billion was spend on Development, KSh235 billion on Recurrent (MDAs) and KSh 229.5 billion on Consolidated Fund Services.
The State used its development budget as follows- KSh.39.4 to develop Infrastructure, KSh19.1 billion on Energy, KSh11.6 billion on Water and Sanitation, KSh 6.4 billion on Transport, KSh.4.7 billion on ICT & Innovation, KSh.2.3 billion on Irrigation, KSh1.9 billion on Vocational and Technical Training Institutes, KSh 1.9 billion on State Department for Industrialization, KSh1.7 billion on development of youth programs and KSh1.5 billion on the State Department for Housing & Urban Development.
