Govt Hands Raila Ksh36M for New Furniture & Luxury Cars

by Derrick Okubasu on Thursday, 11 June 2020 - 10:22 am

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga during a meeting with Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina and other leaders from the Maasai community in Karen, Nairobi on May 26, 2020

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Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has emerged as the biggest beneficiary from the 2020/2021 budget even as other arms of government register slashed allocations of as much as 40 per cent.

According to budget estimates expected to be tabled in Parliament by Treasury CS Ukur Yattani on Thursday, June 11, the former Prime Minister made his entrance after securing a first full-year allocation of Ksh72 million.

Experts believe that the allocation was influenced by the March 9, 2018, handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila.

Before that, the former premier had been largely ignored by the state which had refused to include him in pension package allocated to former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and the late Daniel Moi.

Cabinet Secretary for Treasury Ukur Yatani speaking during the Child Protection Conference in Nairobi on August 2, 2019.

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The state argued that the office of the former Prime Minister had not qualified for an allocation, accusing its holder of actively participating in politics.

In 2019, after the fruits of the handshake had become visible, first with the Building Bridges Initiative, Raila's budget was squeezed in during the second Supplementary Budget.

In the new allocation, the AU envoy is set to receive Ksh26 million aimed at securing luxury cars for his office, Ksh10 million for furniture, Ksh20 million for insurance and Ksh10 million for his staff.

This comes even as the state struggles to procure Ksh823 billion to fill the deficit while raising KshKsh.904.7 billion debt reported to be maturing in the upcoming financial year.

Treasury CS Ukur Yattani projects that total revenue for the 2020/21 financial year is likely to total to Ksh1.87 trillion shillings including Ksh.1.62 trillion in tax revenues, Ksh.249.1 billion as ministerial appropriations in aid.

The office of DP William Ruto is the hardest hit in the current estimates having suffered a 40 per cent decline from Ksh2.4 billion to Ksh1.4 billion with some of the affected services including travel, entertainment and fuel.

President Uhuru Kenyatta also took a 29 per cent decline in State House expenditure dropping from Ksh5.4 billion to Ksh3.8 billion.

The total budget has dropped from the current Ksh2.78 billion expenditure to next year's Ksh2.73 billion.