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 vent
ured 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 educ
ation 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.
Source: Kenya News Agency
Oshikoto regional council chairperson, Samuel Shivute has urged the inhabitants of the region to pay close attention to the challenges they face, including the lack of clean water and recommend various solutions.
Shivute made the remarks during a regional consultative meeting held at Omuthiya by the National Planning Commission on the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) on Tuesday.
He said the region continues to experience a lack of water in most rural areas and there is a need for boreholes and upgrading of water treatment reservoirs and pipelines to ensure that the challenge is addressed.
Shivute also informed the meeting that the region lacks proper roads, more specifically feeder roads in most areas of Eengodi, Okankolo, omuntele, and Nehale lya Mpingana constituencies which hinder development as most of the services are inaccessible.
‘We have a high unemployment rate and a lack of school infrastructure mostly in the rural parts of the region such as classrooms and hostels, and tertiary institutio
ns,’ said Shivute.
NPC executive director (ED) Wilhencia Uiras said that they are in consultations with regional councils and all stakeholders both agents and beneficiaries of development to formulate the NDP6 through which the NPC spearheads and coordinates national socio-economic planning.
‘The NDP6 will be the last in the series towards Vision 2030 to be implemented from March 2025/2026 to March 2030/2031 financial years,’ said Uiras.
She said that the NDP6 calls for all stakeholders, agents, and beneficiaries of development to work together and leverage synergies in executing programmes and projects and discourages dependencies and recipient syndrome.
The Oshikoto Regional Council’s acting Chief Regional Officer, Peter Ndawedwa said that the region will play a crucial role in the implementation of the NDP6 by aligning regional development efforts with national priorities and coordinating development activities.
‘We will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to mobilise resources and implement infras
tructure projects effectively,’ said Ndawedwa.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency