Kenya 2016/17 Budget Making

An independent office within the Office of President will take over the role from Treasury. The President announced this while receving the anti-bribery bill from KPSA. The present explained that the move is aimed at stemming the increase. However, politically,  the move is viewed as being aimed at "weakening" the Treasury which is under URP.


The Kenyan 2016/17 budget making process will be different from the previous processes in a technical sense.

The 2016/2017 budget preparation process will involve the following two primary entities;
  1. Independent Budget Office.
  2. Parliamentary Budget Office.
Independent Budget Office
The Independent Budget Office is a new office within the Office of the President (The creation of the office is ongoing). The office takes over the role of budget making from the Treasury. Therefore, this new office vests a key role in the Presidency. At the same time, the office leaves the execution of the budget to the Treasury.

The budget office gives the president direct control over the budget making unlike in the past where the Treasury CS had this control.

In creating this office, President Uhuru hopes to reduce political influence in the budget making process. Therefore, the president has the sole responsibility in the allocation of funds to various Ministries and Departmental Agencies (MDAs). The president also has the sole responsibility in the introduction of new taxes in the budget with KRA playing an advisory role.

This new office has upset URP as it has taken away a core duty of CS. Rotich. This is one development which is being treated with utmost caution by URP as it could be a telltale sign of what may come as 2017 fast approaches.

The budget office therefore creates a direct link through which the President can be held politically responsible for issues such as;