State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs has a budget shortfall of Sh2.30 billion for the 2023/24 fiscal period, a House committee was told.
Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime told National Assembly Committee on Transport and Infrastructure on Monday that the total resource requirement for the State Department for the period is Sh5.68 billion.
Mwadime said the amount comprised Sh2.97 billion in recurrent and Sh2.61 billion in development.
“However, out of these requirements, the Budget Policy Statement proposed a resource allocation of Sh3.38 billion of which Sh2.33 billion is for recurrent and Sh1.05 billion is for development,” he said.
“The Department, therefore, has an overall shortfall of Sh2.30 billion.”
Mwadime had appeared before the committee for consideration of the FY 2023/24 Budget Policy Statement for the ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs.
Mwadime further noted that the State Department has been given eight additional mandates to the existing ones.
“These, therefore, require additional funding of Sh120 million for implementation of the same,” he said.
He named the new mandates as maritime transport management; coordinating Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone management; protection and regulation of marine ecosystems.
Other mandates are to develop national capacity for Kenya’s maritime sector; promote and facilitate placement of Kenyans in the global maritime labour market; protection of marine resources; ocean governance and marine management; and government clearing agency.
He said the State Department intends to implement various policies over the medium-term period: Policy on Inland Waterways Development; Cargo Reservation Policy; Policy on Safety of life at sea; Policy on Energy efficiency in maritime transport and development; and Development of Cabotage policy.
In addition, the PS said, the State Department will develop the following strategies: Strategy on shipping operations in small ports; Shipbuilding and repair Strategy and Strategy on Maritime Security.
