Parliament’s economic advisory team has poked holes in Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani’s mini-budget, citing failure to meet critical health needs. The Parliamentary Budget Office says the Supplementary Estimates II have not catered for Covid-19 emergencies as much. In the Supplementary Estimates II, MPs increased recurrent spending to Sh31 billion while development was reduced by Sh83 billion. About Sh10 billion would go to cash transfers, Sh10 billion in tax refunds, Sh13 billion for pending bills and the rest for direct health interventions. This makes the budget less credible.”The Budget watchdog has also queried the meagre allocations to the manufacturing sector.

Source: The Star April 29, 2020 20:03 UTC