Tuesday, 11 March, 2025
Finance and Budget Committee reprimands CS John Mbadi for failing to appear before it to consider the 2025 Budget Policy Statement๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆe๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐
The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget has reprimanded the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury John Mbadi for failing to honour its invitation to consider the 2025 Budget Policy Statement.
The Budget Policy Statement (BPS) is a government policy document that sets out the broad strategic priorities and policy goals which guide the national and county governments in the preparation of budgets.
Section 25(2) of the Public Finance Management Act, Cap 412A provides that the National Treasury shall submit to Parliament, including the Senate and the National Assembly, the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) on or before 15th February each year.
Pursuant to this provision, the National Treasury and Economic Planning submitted the 2025 Budget Policy Statement to Parliament on February 13, 2025, which was subsequently tabled in the Senate at its plenary sitting held on the same day.
Thereafter, and pursuant to Standing Orders 186 (4) of the Senate Standing Orders, the BPS was committed to each Standing Committee for consideration and subsequent submission of their recommendations to the Finance Committee.
In a meeting held at Parliament Buildings earlier today, Senators expressed their dissatisfaction with the National Treasury Boss's failure to appear before them adding that they hoped he โhas not carried forward the mentality of the National Assembly into the running of the Ministry.โ
โWe have had a good working relationship with the Ministry. We have managed to execute them without any hitches from the Ministry. Unfortunately, we have not received a response from the National Treasury, which was supposed to be the last entity we engage with,โ Mandera Senator Ali Roba, who is the Chairperson of the Committee, said.
โI hope CS Mbadi is not becoming a victim of the feel-good effect of having landed into government. As a Committee, we are completely blind to the broad-based government dynamics when discharging our mandate,โ Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale added.
The Members of the Finance Committee urged CS Mbadi to understand that the Senate has a clear constitutional mandate to undertake and counselled him to take the Finance and Budget Committee seriously since it is there to deliver service to the people of Kenya.
They asked him to appear before the Committee on Tuesday, 18th March 2025 to explain to the Committee why he failed to honour the invite.
The Committee also met with the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakangโo who urged the Committee to ensure her office is adequately funded to help it to discharge its oversight role.
The Public Finance Management Act provides that Parliament shall, not later than 14 days after the BPS is submitted to Parliament, table and debate a report on the BPS containing recommendations to approve it with or without amendments.