President William Ruto has challenged the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to significantly reduce their budget in the next financial year following the launch of Bunge towers which is potentially expected to cut costs.
This follows revelation by members of House leadership that PSC will save close to Sh400 million annually in expenses as the state-art facility has absolved external procurement of services.
President Ruto who graced the official launch of the facility which began construction in 2014 expressed that the reduction of the budget should reflect in costs.
“Now that we have all the facilities here the meeting rooms with the meeting. I hope I will see a significant drop because a speaker in the budget of Parliament,” he said.
“The taste of the pudding is in the eating. The next budget just remember that parliament does not need money to go to hotels, and therefore the budget should reduce.”
Earlier, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi mentioned that the commissioning of the 26 storey building will save the taxpayers money in hiring of amenities to discharge the oversight mandate of the bicameral house.
“Bunge towers is a game changer for Parliament and the working community….The completion of Bunge towers undoubtedly instill in us a sense of pride and ownership symbolizing a collective investment in the future of the country,” stated Kingi.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah asserted that the Legislature has supported the efforts of President William Ruto administration efforts to institute cost cutting measures given the harsh economic times.
Ichungwah revealed that during the budget making process the Budget and Appropriation Committee uses Sh 1.5 million on a daily basis for hiring hotels services with the process estimated to take two weeks.
“This just tells you the amount of saving that we have been making not only in this institution but also in your government as we require many Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries who spend fuel and time to come for the meeting,” he said.
This coming days after Parliament increased their budget by Sh2 billion after MPs changed the spending limit that was instituted by Treasury.
In the Budget Policy Statement for the financial year 2024/2025, the National Treasury set a ceiling of Sh41.62 billion.
The Budget and Appropriation Committee chaired Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro increased the ceiling to Sh43.62 billion to cater for the annual wage bill which has increased due to the housing tax.