Governors of the five counties of Lamu, Tana River, Isiolo, Nyandarua and Tharaka Nithi were this week put on the spot by a Senate committee over delays to complete the construction of county headquarters six years after the constructions began. The country chiefs alongside senators from the five counties were asked to explain the cause of the delays, which the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget said had caused disruptions in the delivery of services. The committee led by Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale also argued that the delays had denied residents of the respective counties the much-needed access to…
Author: Silas Apollo
A Parliamentary committee has advised the management of the troubled East African Portland Cement Company to sell off some of its assets including disputed parcels of land to allow it offset some of its debts amidst a growing cash crunch within the company. The National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy told the management of EAPCC that the disposal of idle land and partial privatization can help partly resolve its financial woes. EAPCC has in the last few months been embroiled in a longstanding land dispute case with home owners and squatters said to have settled on…
Nyatike MP Tom Odege wants sub counties classified as hardship areas Members of Parliament in the National Assembly have asked the government to provide a clear criterion for determining and gazettement of hardship areas in the country. The MPs made the call during debate on a petition filed by Nyatike MP Tom Odege, who sought the recognition of Nyatike West, Nyatike North and Nyatike South Sub-Counties as hardship areas. According to the petition, Nyatike constituency has been facing challenges in accessing basic government services such as issuance of birth and death certificates due to the lack of staff and infrastructure. …
Governors have been asked to look for funds to mitigate against the effects of the ongoing El-Nino rainfall from other sources instead of relying on the national government. Deputy president Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday asked county bosses to source for funds from elsewhere, despite an earlier appeal and protests from some governors for help from the national government. Speaking during a meeting with development partners at his office in Karen in Nairobi, DP Gachagua insisted that the national government had already done its part in assisting counties, urging governors to also do their part. “We are shocked to see governors…
Legislators also want customs officials at border points retrained and sensitised to enhance their relatability with people and promote dignified passenger handling. The Kenya Revenue Authority customs officials stationed at border points have been urged to improve their passenger handling experience for both Kenyans returning from overseas and tourists visiting the country. The call made by the National Assembly departmental committee on finance and national planning came in the wake of complaints from travelers coming into the country through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport over the accelerated enforcement of taxation policies by KRA. The taxman has for the last few…
Commissioner for Domestic Taxes Rispah Simiyu says country will lose Sh2.45 billion per year in the proposed changes. The Kenya Revenue Authority has criticized plans by the Communication Authority to reduce the current mobile phone calling rates, arguing that the move is likely to negatively impact the collection of revenue. KRA commissioner for domestic taxes Rispah Simiyu said that the decision to reduce the current mobile termination rates and fixed termination rates, will impact VAT, excise and corporation tax remittances. Speaking during a meeting with the National Assembly committee on communication information and technology, Simiyu said that KRA is likely…
The Ministries of Education and Agriculture are some of the biggest beneficiaries in the recently approved supplementary budget estimates report for 2023/24 financial year. This is after the two departments received some of the highest funding of other government agencies and departments. According to the budget estimates, the ministry of education saw its allocation increased to help fund programmes under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the new University Funding Model as well as the capitation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). The ministry also received additional allocation to help boost infrastructure in JSS where the government intends to build at least…
The management of the Kenyatta International Convention Center was again this week in the spotlight over its failure to collect arrears owed to it by different entities totalling Sh742.2 million. KICC management, while appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, was put to task to explain the debts said to have been accrued over time. KICC has also been in the spotlight for failing to collect rent owed to it by a private secretary attached to the late President Mwai Kibaki estimated to be about Sh36 million. The allegations and the new figures are…
The Law Society of Kenya has called for the regulation of TikTok in the country amidst ongoing debate and calls for a ban of the digital platform due to abuse by users in the country. LSK president Eric Theuri, in a memorandum to the National Assembly’s Public Petitions Committee, argues that a regulation of the platform will help deal with some of the cases of abuse witnessed in recent months. Theuri also argued that banning Tiktok would mean banning all other social media platforms as the problem with the platform was not only isolated to Tiktok. “The Society recommends that…
The country’s public debt increased by about Sh310 billion in the first quarter of the current financial year as the government continued to engage more lenders to refinance previous loans and development projects in the country. Documents from the National Treasury show that the country’s public debt stock stood at about Sh10.58 trillion as at September 2023, up from Sh10.27 trillion in June 2023. Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, in a presentation to the National Assembly’s Public Debt and Privatisation Committee, said the increase in the debt was also caused by the continued decline of the Kenyan shilling against the…
