Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o warns that her office may struggle to function due to an Ksh 850 million budget cut in the next financial year.
She has also pointed out that government officials continue to bypass a system designed to track the use of public funds.
She says the system is fully automated and operational but ministries, departments and agencies continue to request funds outside the platform while only using it selectively.
Speaking before the Senate Finance and Budget Committee, she explained that the Ksh 704.25 million allocated to her office in the current financial year has already been exhausted.
Dr Nyakang’o told the committee, chaired by Mandera Senator Ali Roba, that her office is relying on the planned second supplementary budget to sustain operations until the end of the fiscal year.
She said critical functions such as monitoring and evaluation, report writing, training, budget forums, and local travel have no funds.
“We are operating on a tight budget and have only managed to continue working by cutting expenses as much as possible,” she said.
She warned that the financial situation may become worse in the next financial year, with the government planning to allocate only Ksh 777.5 million against the Ksh 1.63 billion requested.
She stated that nine key areas remain underfunded by a total of Ksh 579.3 million.
“We have been given less than half of what we requested. Meeting our objectives will be a challenge,” she said.
We are asking the Senate to intervene and secure an additional Ksh 579.3 million. Without these funds, our operations will be at a standstill.”
She also noted that a request for Ksh 182.8 million to support career progression had been rejected.
A similar outcome affected the request for Ksh 102 million to draft legislative proposals aimed at strengthening her office.
An appeal for Ksh 50 million to improve automation of systems was turned down.
Funding for training, estimated at Ksh 24 million, was not approved.
An additional Ksh 15.3 million requested for foreign travel was also denied.
“I have served as Controller of Budget for six years and have never travelled outside the country to study best financial management practices.
My office has also been losing staff, with seven employees leaving in the past six months due to low salaries,” she said.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale and Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka pledged to push for more funding.
“You have been asking for additional resources for three years without success.
“We will make sure you have the necessary tools to fight corruption,” Onyonka said.
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