The Executive Office of the President is seeking Sh651 million for staff salaries, reaffirm Kenya's international boundary, fund various National Security Council Committee operations, and partially defray pending bills.
The Head of Public Service and Chief of Staff, Felix Koskei, said the budget for the Executive Office of the President is grossly underfunded across all programmes and is unable to operate optimally to achieve its critical mandate of providing leadership in the public service and coordinating government.
Mr Koskei told the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security during the consideration of the Supplementary Budget II for 2024/25 that the office has no allocation under the development budget as the funds were fully rationalised during the Supplementary Budget 1 estimates.
“In the financial year 2024/25 Supplementary II Estimates, the Executive Office of the President has proposed additional allocation of Sh651.68 million where Sh601.68 million is under recurrent estimates and Sh50 million is under the development estimates,” Mr Koskei told the committee.
“The gross revised estimates therefore total Sh4.236 billion where Sh4.186 billion is under recurrent and Sh50 million is under development.”
He said Sh70.65 million has been earmarked for Government Printing Services, and the funds are meant for the production of supplies and the settlement of pending overtime allowance for staff at the Government Printer.
A further Sh498 million has been allocated for Multi-Agency Strategic Intervention, personal emoluments shortfall across the office, and support to the office of the Government Spokesperson.
Under the Leadership and Coordination of Government Services, the Executive Office of the President wants Sh105 million allocated for the Kenya International Boundary Office and the National Lottery Board.
“The proposed additional funding of Sh661.69 million will help the office address the personnel emoluments shortfall, reaffirm the Kenya International boundary, fund various National Security Council, and partially defray pending bills relating to the financial year 2024/25,” Mr Koskei said.
He said the office earmarked to implement the modernisation of the Government Printer and refurbishment of buildings at the Government Printer.
It also plans to undertake general works and refurbishment of the Harambee House Main Building, the directorate of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing, and the capital transfer to the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya.
“However, a 100 percent budget cut was effected on all projects during Supplementary 1 budget,” Mr Koskei said.
“In the financial year 2024/25 Supplementary II budget estimates, there is a proposed grant allocation to the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) of Sh50 million by the European Development Fund (EDF).”
He said the grant is to facilitate strengthening the capacity of the Centre to implement the National Strategy to prevent and Counter violent extremism in Kenya.
Mr Koskei said the Executive Office of the President has been underfunded in several areas, including funds to clear pending bills worth Sh382.29 million that has already been processed.
He said the office requires Sh213.59 million to settle final allowances for Modernisation of the Government Press Taskforce, the Justice Kullow Tribunal, and to support the activities of the Public Service Commission Commissioners Selection Panel and settle final allowances.
The 15 billion National Tree Growing Initiative has a funding gap of Sh100 million. The Executive Office of the President has an annual tree-growing target of Sh50 million trees. Mr Koskei said the funds are required for the purchase of seedlings and for funding the tree-growing activities.
The office of the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service requires Sh200 million to purchase motor vehicles.
Mr Koskei told the committee chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo that the office of the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service is operating with an old fleet of motor vehicles that are uneconomical to maintain.
“The office thus requires Sh200 million to purchase new vehicles,” he said.
He said the Directorate of National Cohesion requires sh70 million to prepare the annual presidential report on National Values and Principles of Governance as per Article 132(1)(c) and Article 10 of the Constitution.
“The office has various key unfunded priority areas with a total budget requirement of Sh3.048 billion. The office thus requests this honourable committee to consider allocating additional funding to this office to address the aforementioned priority areas,” Mr Koskei said.
