State Department for East African Community has no allocation for development in the 2023-24 Financial Year Budget, a report of the departmental committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations shows.
The department has been allocated Sh718.37 million for the FY 2023-24 for recurrent spending.
“The State Department has no development budget allocation for FY 2023-24. Therefore, it does not have any stalled project,” the report showed.
The State Department’s total recurrent resource requirement was Sh2.25 billion against an allocation of Sh718.37 million creating a budget deficit of Sh1.53 billion.
Of the total allocation, Sh417.24 million is for operations and maintenance, which includes Sh77.6 million for office rent.
Pending bills for the 2021-22 FY is Sh13.8 million, the report added.
“Verification of the pending bills was completed and the processing was underway,” it added.
The 2023-24 and medium-term budget addresses several key policies and programmes for the State Department.
They include ongoing implementation of the EAC Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation, the establishment of cross-border (Jumuiya) markets at Busia, Namanga, Taveta and Isebania and publicity and sensitisation to raise awareness on opportunities available from EAC integration process.
The Department will continue with the establishment and operationalisation of Regional Integration Centres at Taita Taveta, Lunga Lunga, and Isebania, establish additional One Stop Border Post (OSBPs) at Lwakhakha and Suam and monitor and evaluate the implementation of Northern Corridor Development.
