Balala needs Sh392m to refurbish Bomas for August polls
The Bomas of Kenya auditorium. The Ministry of Tourism has requested Sh392 million in additional funding from the National Treasury to prepare the Bomas of Kenya for the August General Election.
The Ministry of Tourism has requested Sh392 million in additional funding from the National Treasury to prepare the Bomas of Kenya for the August General Election.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on Tuesday told Parliament that the famed venue needs an urgent upgrade that will involve rehabilitation of its main hosting facilities, beefing up security and building a perimeter wall.
Mr Balala appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism to share his views on a supplementary budget submitted to Parliament by the Treasury last week.
The committee will then make a report to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, which will consolidate reports from all committees to inform the mini budget.
National tallying centre
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been using Bomas as its national tallying centre, where it also announces the winner of the presidential election.
“Bomas of Kenya has requested an additional Sh392 million to enhance funding for the rehabilitation of main facilities and securing the institution by (installing) basic essentials such as a perimeter wall, CCTV and lighting, in readiness for the upcoming General Election,” Mr Balala told MPs.
The Treasury has cut the ministry’s net allocation recurrent expenditure by Sh36.2 million, down to Sh1.811 billion from the original estimates of Sh1.848 billion in June last year.
The Ministry is also seeking Sh85.75 million to buy motor vehicles to be used by the Cabinet secretary, the principal secretary (PS) and chief administrative secretary (CAS).
Mr Balala said he uses a vehicle borrowed from the State Department of Mining while the PS and CAS use borrowed vehicles from state corporations.
Money to promote tourism
The ministry is also seeking Sh62 million to support local and international activities meant to promote tourism, with Sh60 million for hosting the AfriCities conference and Sh2 million for hosting international delegates.
Mr Balala is also seeking Sh500 million more for the Kenya Tourism Board for marketing expenses to boost tourism, which was heavily hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
