Employment of junior secondary school teachers and distribution of fertiliser subsidy will not be affected by budget cuts, chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations committee said.
Ndindi Nyoro, who is also the Kiharu MP, said that although the Finance Bill, 2024 was not assented into law, the budget has to be adjusted so that the expenditure that is important to Kenyans is included in the new budget.
He made the statement while issuing bursaries for students in boarding secondary schools and tertiary institutions at Kiharu Technical and Vocational College.
Nyoro said that the 46,000 JSS teachers who were on internship will be employed on permanent and pensionable terms so that they can be compensated fairly for their work.
He underscored the important role of agriculture, saying that the subsidised fertiliser will continue to be available for farmers growing both foodstuff and cash crops.
“I also want to assure all Kenyan farmers that we will include Sh10 billion for subsidised fertiliser as the Budget committee adjusts the budget next week,” the legislator said.
Allocation for the stabilisation of milk prices to ensure the prices are not affected by surplus production will also not be affected, he said.
“We had budgeted for Sh2.25 billion to cushion dairy farmers from low milk prices during the rainy season through New KCC (Kenya Co-Operative Creameries) and that amount will not be affected,” Nyoro said.
“The money is to safeguard milk prices and ensure the farmers earn not less than Sh50 per litre of milk.”
The MP said that an additional Sh2 billion will be allocated for the coffee cherry fund, bringing the amount allocated for the fund to Sh6.8 billion.
Nyoro added that some money will be allocated for offsetting part of the debts owed by coffee cooperatives.
“Another challenge in the coffee industry is the debts owed by cooperatives estimated to amount to about Sh8 billion and the budget will include Sh2 billion to start offsetting those debts."
The lawmaker said Kenyan leaders have listened to the public outcry and will work with the money available by reviewing the budget they had proposed and reduce it by about Sh177 billion.