State departments splash Sh7.5bn on travel
Work on the main pipes that connect Changamwe refinery with Kipevu Oil Terminal in Mombasa. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Sh3.6 billion was spent on rentals and rates for non-residential buildings, Sh2 billion on hospitality, and Sh1.2 billion on training.
- On domestic travel, MPs used Sh1.7 billion the State Department of Interior (Sh744) and the PSC (Sh616m), the Presidency (Sh271m) and the Judiciary (Sh166m).
- The Presidency — comprising the offices of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto — also used Sh630 million on hospitality in the period under review.
The State gobbled up Sh7.5 billion on travel in five months, defying an austerity drive to curb non-essential expenditure.
The Controller of Budget 2018/19 financial year first half report shows State entities spent Sh5 billion on domestic travel and Sh2.5 billion on foreign tours between July and December 2018.
SH3.6 BILLION
According to the report tabled in the National Assembly and Senate last week, another Sh3.6 billion was spent on rentals and rates for non-residential buildings, Sh2 billion on hospitality, and Sh1.2 billion on training.
Such spending comes amid calls by the Treasury for austerity to free up cash for development and provision of basic services.
On domestic travel, MPs used Sh1.7 billion the State Department of Interior (Sh744 million) and the Parliamentary Service Commission (Sh616 million), the Presidency (Sh271 million) and the Judiciary (Sh166 million).
The Presidency — comprising the offices of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto — also used Sh630 million on hospitality in the period under review.
OVERSEAS TRAVEL
The Foreign Affairs Ministry leads the pack in overseas travel with a budget of Sh801 million, followed by National Assembly at Sh510 million and the PSC (Sh497 million), adding to the budget strain that has seen public servants wages and allowances eat deeply into development expenditure.
The presidency spent Sh53.2 million in foreign travel.
During the period, the category with the highest development expenditure for ministries, state departments and government agencies was capital transfers to semi-autonomous government agencies at Sh116.6 billion.
The second highest category was on refurbishment of buildings/infrastructure at Sh68.4 billion.
Other categories with high expenditure included construction and civil works (Sh20.9 billion), construction of non-residential buildings (Sh3.8 billion), pre-feasibility and appraisal studies (Sh1.1 billion) and purchase of specialised plant, equipment and machinery at Sh708.2 million.
CAPITAL TRANSFERS
The State Department for Infrastructure reported the highest capital transfers to its semi-autonomous government agencies at Sh21.9 billion, followed by Ministry of Energy at Sh16.1 billion.
The State Department for Transport reported the highest expenditure on refurbishment of buildings/infrastructure at Sh60.1 billion while the Ministry of Energy recorded the highest expenditure on construction and civil works at Sh15.2 billion.
Notable expenditure in other categories included Sh1.9 billion by the Department for University Education on constructing non-residential buildings, Sh485.7 million by the Department for Housing and Urban Development on purchase of specialised plant, equipment and machinery and Sh421.3 million by the Department for Petroleum on pre-feasibility studies.
