The sectors of agriculture, education and roads are slated to reap big in the 2024/2025 national budget.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Budget and Appropriation Ndindi Nyoro has noted in the Sh4.188 trillion budget, more funds were factored to facilitate provision of various subsidies in the agricultural sector.
On Monday, the Kiharu MP said that the coffee advance cherry fund would get an additional of Sh2 billion to cushion farmers from fluctuation of local and international prices.
“We want coffee farmers not to earn less than Sh80 per kilo of coffee. Money is factored to increase the advance cherry fund from Sh4 billion to Sh6 billion. The dairy sector will also get money to ensure farmers will not get a litre of milk at less than Sh50,” said Ndindi during a public participation on road construction in Murang’a town, Monday.
Ndindi underscored the largest budget the country has ever had saying it’s targeting to improve socio-economic status of Kenyans and especially those who have ventured in businesses, manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
“Still in agriculture, the government aims to lower funds used to import edible oils. The country spends more than Sh150 billion annually to import edible oil but in the next financial year budget, money is allocated to promote farming of crops like sunflower that facilitate manufacturing of edible oils,” remarked the legislator.
Ndindi said through import substitution, seeds of the crops used to manufacture edible oils would be procured and distributed to farmers so as to have yields which would lower dependence on importation of edible oils.
On roads, the MP said Sh220 billion is allocated for development of roads across the country.
“Sh70 billion of the amount proposed for roads will be provided by the government and the remaining sum will be sourced from development partners. The allocated figure also includes recurrent expenditure that is maintenance of continuous maintenance of the roads,” he asserted.
Ndindi further observed that the education sector is allocated Sh670 billion part of which would be used to employ teachers.
“Sh26.6 billion from the amount allocated for education will be used by the Teachers Service Commission to absorb the 20, 000 intern teachers into permanent basis. Another more than Sh30 billion will be used to employ 20, 000 additional teachers,” said Ndindi.
The education sector, the MP noted, needs more funding to implement various reforms including ongoing implementation of competency based curriculum.
By Bernard Munyao
