The budgetary cuts that have resulted from the rejection of the 2024/2025 Finance Bill put the State House in a fix.
The State House Comptroller, Katoo Ole Mitito, has raised serious alarm over how the new budget of Ksh.4.382 billion from the previous Ksh.9.496 billion imposed serious operating challenges in the State House.
In response to the drastic spending cuts, Katoo has appealed to the Committee on Administration and Internal Security to reconsider their decisions seeing the hazards of stopping all the activities conducted by the office.
This means the Office of the First Lady and her advisors will be hard hit by a cut on contracts resulting from a cut of Ksh.547 million on their salaries provided under various contacts and leading to contractual terminations with legal consequences.
Other injustices depicted by the bill include the withdrawal of funds for secret use in the office of the president which is a claim that the government can no longer work efficiently.
Katoo has appealed to the committee to return some of these funds back to support the efficient running of the government.
While acknowledging that cuts will have to be made due to the current state of the economy, Katoo has insisted on the need to pay a certain amount to run the government.
He has advocated for a slightly more realistic cut of 36% and complemented that with an additional provision of Ksh.1.7 billion.
The trimming of the budget by Ksh.1.5 billion for State House and State Lodges that was to be used for the refurbishment of both buildings has added to these problems and could result in legal cases with contractors.
The State House experience is a perfect illustration of the need to balance the principles of prudence and efficiency in the management of the state’s financial administration.