Ruto has organised his administration’s budget beginning July 1 into five clusters drawn from broad themes under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (Beta).
He has however maintained most interventions by the Jubilee team, including NHIF for students, exam waivers, police vehicle leasing, with funds also set aside for the completion of his predecessor’s projects.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has thus allocated Sh267.7 billion to the five bottom-up clusters, as enablers, and a further Sh1.7 trillion for various projects and programmes.
Budget documents tabled in Parliament reveal President Ruto intends to put Sh121 billion towards infrastructure to enable trade and production.
About Sh86 billion has been set aside for social programmes, Sh15.3 billion for land resources, Sh35 billion for finance and production and Sh10.5 billion for governance.
“The budgeting process for the priority programmes will be done through a value chain approach,” Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung'u said.
The money is to help build value chains for leather, cotton, dairy, edible oils, tea, rice, the blue economy, mining and building materials.
Uhuru’s budget was premised on health, food security, affordable housing and manufacturing – the Big Four.
Ruto, while on a working tour of Nairobi Friday, lauded the efforts his team has put to reduce the budget deficit from Sh1 trillion this year to Sh689 billion next year.
For the Sh1.7 trillion, President Ruto's administration has identified 15 thematic areas through which it seeks to deliver its legacy.
They include agriculture, transport, roads, energy, housing, ICT, and national security.
Others are governance and justice, education, health, manufacturing, social protection, youth empowerment, sports and environment.
Education has taken the lion's share of the allocation at Sh568 billion, of which TSC has been provided Sh316 billion, Sh95 billion for university education and Sh17 billion for Helb.
Ruto's team has also maintained NHIF for students, which is part of the Sh65 billion set aside for free secondary education.
About Sh15.4 billion has been allocated for junior secondary schools, and another Sh2 billion for construction of JSS classrooms.
At least Sh12.4 billion has been set aside for free primary education, Sh3.9 billion for school feeding programmes and Sh5 billion for examination fees waiver.
Kenya Kwanza, the budget brief shows, has allocated Sh47.3 billion towards agriculture.
Of that amount, Sh4.5 billion has been set aside for the fertiliser subsidy the new administration reinvigorated on assuming power.
Other notable allocations include Sh1.5 billion for climate-smart agriculture, Sh1.5 billion to settle the landless, Sh3.8 billion for locust response and Sh3.7 billion for pastoral economies.
The budget books show that Ruto’s administration would be keener on roads than the mega railway, airports and seaways projects than was Uhuru.
Infrastructure, which is among the top consumers of the budget, has been allocated about Sh282 billion, with roads taking the largest share at Sh239 billion.
President Ruto has also made good his promise to activate the mortgage refinancing company with the provision of Sh5 billion seed capital in the budget under review.
The government has allocated Sh109 billion for the construction of roads and bridges, Sh50 billion for the rehabilitation of roads and Sh80 billion for maintenance.
President Ruto, the budget details show, has planned to complete key infrastructure ventures of the previous administration.
The new administration has purposed to complete works at the Dongo Kundu SEZ and several meter gauge railway lines including Nairobi-Nanyuki, Lesseru-Kitale, Kisumu-Butere and Gilgil-Nyahururu.
Kenya Kwanza has also allocated resources for the Kisumu Marine School whose works were initiated by the Uhuru team, driving licences and the acquisition of ferries for Lake Victoria.
The development of Nairobi Railway City is also on course, with Sh889 million allotted to the project in the next year’s estimates, and another Sh579 million for rehabilitation of locomotives.
Ruto's team has also factored commitments towards the loan for Mombasa to Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway which is set to consume Sh37.4 billion of the infrastructure budget.
The new administration has also provided resources for the completion of the Nairobi Rapid Bus Transport project, receiving Sh1.1 billion.
For airports and associated facilities, about Sh727 million has been set aside for construction of airstrips and for expansion of Isiolo airport.
In terms of energy projects, details show Ruto seeks to invest Sh61 billion, of which the national grid investments would take up Sh33 billion.
Rural electrification, which was among the key pledges Ruto made during the campaigns, has been provided Sh11.2 billion, with the rest going into alternative energy technologies, coal, and nuclear energy.
President Ruto has also made good his promise to activate the mortgage refinancing company with the provision of Sh5 billion seed capital in the budget under review.
A further Sh2 billion has been allocated to implement the state-backed mortgage under the schedule which details Ruto’s flagship housing projects.
Sh3.2 billion has been set aside for construction of affordable housing units, Sh3.3 billion for social housing units and Sh2.1 billion for construction of markets.
The Ruto team has also set aside more than Sh5.6 billion for construction of decent houses in informal settlements.
Defence is also among the largest beneficiaries, with an allocation of Sh338 billion.
Of these amounts, Sh43 billion has been set aside for the National Intelligence Service and Sh143 billion for the Defence ministry.
Leasing of police motor vehicles is set to take up Sh10.7 billion, Sh99 billion for the National Police Service, and Sh31.3 billion for the Prison Services. NYS has been provided Sh13.7 billion.
Under governance and justice, Sh3.7 billion has been set aside for the office of the DPP, and Sh3.9 billion for the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
IEBC has been provided Sh233 million for boundaries review and Sh400 million towards supporting the e-government procurement system.
For health, Kenya Kwanza has put Sh4 billion into the free maternity project and Sh11 billion for rollout of Universal Health Coverage, above the allocations to the country’s main referral hospitals.
At least Sh4.6 billion would go towards vaccines, Sh5.8 billion towards managed equipment services, and Sh3.7 billion to the Covid-19 emergency response projects.
The Ruto team has also provided money (Sh4.7 billion) for county industrial parks under manufacturing which has been provided Sh22 billion overall.
Part of the amount is Sh10 billion for the Hustler Fund initiative, which would bring allocations to the kitty to Sh22 billion so far.
President Ruto has also put colossal amounts towards social protection and affirmative action, the interventions provided Sh38 billion.
About Sh18 billion would go to cash transfers to the elderly, Sh7 billion to orphans and vulnerable children, and Sh5.7 billion to the hunger safety net.
MPs are also set for glad tidings with the provision of Sh53 billion for CDF. Water projects have a Sh44 billion budget, with another Sh18 billion for irrigation.
Globally, the Executive has been allocated Sh2.1 trillion, Sh40.4 billion for Parliament and Sh22.9 billion for the Judiciary.
County governments have been provided with a total Sh430 billion being Sh385 billion equitable share and Sh44 billion conditional grants.
Debt interest is set to consume Sh628 billion on the domestic front, Sh146 billion for foreign lenders and Sh211 billion would go into payment of pensions, salaries and allowances.
(Edited by V. Graham)
