National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Robert Pukose speaking at the budget estimates function at Eliud Kipchoge Complex in Nandi County./KNAKenyans should keep off misleading information about reasons why the government is seeking internal and external loans to fix her financial obligations, MP Robert Pukose has said.
Speaking during public participation on the proposed budget estimates of the National Government for the financial year 2025-26 in Nandi County, National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Pukose said most countries, including developed ones, borrow loans to fix their budgets.
Pukose regretted that some ill-driven people have sent fear to Kenyans that the government was recklessly borrowing loans without proper plans, which is not the case.
He said the government has a detailed, workable program on how it is going to pay loans that were previously borrowed and the new loans sought both domestically and from external financial institutions.
“There is no government that will fail to borrow. The work of the government is to look for money so as to provide services for its people,” Pukose told members of the public, civil society groups, women and youths who gathered at Eliud Kipchoge Complex Hall in Kapsabet town.
Pukose, who is also Endebbes Member of Parliament, revealed that the additional loans, which are reflected in the budget estimates for the year 2025-26, were done to provide certain services that the government is not able to provide now.
“Governments borrow and have programmes on how to settle those loans, and it's working in most countries,” he insisted.
According to the budget estimates documented during the public participation, out of close to Sh 4.2 trillion budget estimates, 31 per cent will be used to settle loans borrowed by the government, both internal and externa.
During the function, Nandi County residents called on the government, through the National Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee, to increase funding for roads, water, and energy and to make education free by recalling all state bursary streams and directing them to schools.
The committee member Christopher Aseka recognised the work of the County Government of Nandi in providing essential services to the locals.
Aseka, who is also the Khwisero Member of Parliament, noted that it was essential for the county governments to upscale services that were fully devolved.
The National Assembly budget team are supposed to collect views on budget estimates for F/Y 2025/2026 in eleven identified counties of Laikipia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Makueni, Migori, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Wajir, Samburu, and Kwale.
Also present during the public participation function were Samuel Moroto, also Kapenguria MP Committee Member; Nandi County Women Representative, Alfet Jilo, Deputy County Commissioner of Nandi Central who represented Nandi County Commissioner Caroline Nzwili, officials the County Government of Nandi, local leaders and the National Assembly Secretariat team.
