Tanzanian Finance Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba presented his government budget of Tshs 49.35 tri for 2024/2025 in the National Assembly. This is the third President Samia Sululu budget since she became president in March 2021.
The Finance Minister highlighted the great achievements recorded in the implementation of previous budget giving optimism for the future. Focusing on the national Development, the Finance Minister explained.
"For the year 2024/25, the government expects to mobilise and spend a total of Tshs 49.35tri/-, equivalent to an increase of 11.2 per cent compared to the 2023/24 budget,"
Dr Nchemba shared that the revenue is projected to be Tshs 34.61 tri which is abut 70.1 percent of the total budget and 15.7 per cent of the GDP. The Tanzania Revenue Authority(TRA) has been tasked to collect Tshs 29.41 tri. Tshs 3.84 tri will be non-tax revenue to be collected by ministries, agencies and independent departments. Tanzania Government expects to collect Tshs 5.13 tri from Development Partners as grants and concessional loans. The government will also borrow Tshs 2.99tri from external commercial sources to finance development projects.
The budget is set to finance wage bill, government debt, local government election and preparation for 2025 general election. To achieve the aims of the budget, Dr Nchemba the use of National e-Procurement System of Tanzania(NeST) in all procurements of all goods, services and contracts. He warned against the misuse of public funds.
"I warn those who misuse public funds, to stop that habit immediately! Those who will be liable, legal action will be taken against them," swore the minister.
Speaker Anita Among has asked parents and cultural leaders to put an end to teenage pregnancies and child marriages saying the vice is encouraged by the unfortunate practice of viewing girls as a commodity.
Launching the Parliamentary Forum to end Child Marriages and Teenage Pregnancies where she was named its patron, Speaker Among sounded a call to action to parents and cultural leaders, who she said carry the magic wand to end the scourge of teenage pregnancies and early marriages.
Using her own example as someone who almost fall prey to the practice, Among said the girls, too, should put up a fight and not easily give in to early marriages.
“The issue of eliminating teenage pregnancies is a reality. I happened to be a victim of this particular practice; the challenge is that the moment a parent sees a girl developing breasts, they say she is ready for marriage,” she said adding that, ’I was going to Primary Seven when I almost got forced into a marriage; I took off from home, went and became a house girl, stayed in some other people’s homes and managed to pay for my own education’.
She blamed poor parenting for the increase in the vice and offered her support to the forum in creating awareness to end the practice and put the girls to school. “One of the causes of early marriages and child pregnancy is an issue of parenting, but it also comes back to you, what do you want in life? You can be taken through all that but the resilience to move on is very important,” she added.
The Speaker thanked the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and development partners for supporting efforts to eradicate the practice saying it is time to take the fight to parents and cultural leaders, who should end practices that encourage the vice.
Hon. Ronald Olema Afidra (NRM, Lower Madi County) who is the Chairperson of the forum said society should not give up on the victims but still extend to them an opportunity to go back to school. “Let us give them [the girls] the opportunity to go back to school where they can; we need the girls growing up to be girls, not to prematurely become mothers,” he said.
Ms Laura Criado Lafuente who represented the UFPA Country Representative pledged support to the new forum saying their intervention will be evidence-based, using demographic statistics to mount a laser-focused challenge against teenage pregnancies and marriages. By Johnson Ategeka, The Tower Post
US-based Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) FILE Copied to clipboard
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Wednesday, June 12, revealed a partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to assist in repatriating proceeds of corruption stashed abroad.
EACC revealed this development following a meeting held on Tuesday with the Director of the FBI, Christopher Wray who has been in the country since June 8.
It was further revealed that both entities had forged a partnership where the FBI is expected to enhance its support to EACC through training and acquisition of modern investigative tools and equipment.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, the FBI and the EACC will also be leveraging the exchange of information to support the tracing and recovery of corruptly acquired assets stashed abroad.
EACC
Additionally, the EACC elaborated that the commission will be targeting high-impact cases to pursue any unexplained wealth.
“Today marks a major milestone as we seek to deepen our partnership and explore areas of cooperation. With technical support from the FBI, the Commission will have a greater impact in investigating high-impact cases and robustly pursue recovery of corruptly acquired assets and unexplained wealth,” said EACC CEO, Twalib Mbarak.
“I had a productive meeting with EACC CEO Mbarak and his team at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission about their important work combating corruption and promoting accountability,” stated FBI Director Wray.
“The FBI will continue to look for ways to strengthen our partnership and support EACC efforts to safeguard the rule of law and ensure public confidence in institutions,” he added.
Further, the EACC noted that the FBI had already been involved in various specialised trainings with the EACC investigators especially related to financial and economic crimes.
According to the commission, the FBI had successfully trained EACC investigators on undercover operations, tradecraft and modern techniques in the investigation of complex financial, and economic crimes, corruption cases and recovery of corruptly acquired and unexplained wealth.
The EACC and FBI partnership will not be the first to be witnessed between the US-based entity with Kenya.
In 2020, the FBI partnered with Kenya in creating the first Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which was the first to be located outside of the United States. By Helen Njoroge, kenyans.co.ke
Budget briefcase carried by CS Treasury Njuguna Ndungu at Parliament on June 15, 2023. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]
A section of Kenyans are pessimistic about the prospects of the country’s budget estimates addressing key concerns affecting the economy.
They claimed they were hoping the government would prioritize projects in agriculture, business, stalled projects, and managing foreign debt as a priority to help lift the economy and ease the burden on taxpayers.
For some, debt management should be the priority in the budget with the hope that the country will not incorporate new loans as part of the initiative to fund the budget.
Interviews with a number of residents across counties established that a majority were hoping Kenya Kwanza’s latest budget would be the economic breakthrough for the country.
In Rift Valley, traders claimed they are expecting a budget that does not pass the additional burden to an already overburdened taxpayer.
Mohamed Noor, a businessman, says that taxation has been a major problem in his business and has hampered its growth.
Noor says that he expects the government to reduce taxes to accommodate him and other traders.
In the alternative, Noor wants the government to put in measures that will ensure conducting business within Nakuru will be possible and free of frustrations, corruption, and an unconducive environment.
“Most schools are still understaffed, and the government has the responsibility of hiring teachers to address the teacher shortage in public schools across the country,” she stated.
In Western and Nyanza, however, anxiety has gripped traders ahead of the tabling of the country’s budget estimates for the year 2024/2025 today.
In Busia, traders interviewed at Busia Soko Posta said they fear that proposed levies by the Kenya Kwanza administration could render them insolvent.
Wilmina Nafula, a vegetable vendor at the market has urged the government to reduce levies imposed on small and medium businesses to keep them afloat.
“Taxes imposed on small businesses are not realistic and could end up killing them contrary to what small traders and boda boda operators were promised during campaigns in 2022,” said Nafula.
Erick Ouma, the chairman of boda boda operators in Busia said that the cost of fuel may throw some of them out of business.
He said the budget must take into account the cost of fuel, which has contributed to the high cost of living.
“We fear that some of our members could be unable to continue operating due to projected increased fuel prices,” said Ouma.
In the North Rift region, agricultural producers expect budget estimates that will lower production costs and boost agribusiness.
Thomas Boen, a large-scale farmer from Uasin Gishu County said he expects Treasury CS Professor Njuguna Ndung’u to set budget allocations for the purchase of current season maize harvests.
Rift Valley Law Society of Kenya Chair Aston Muchela says he expects the 2024 budget to be clear on how the government is planning to clear the high level of debt we owe foreign countries.
He says he wants the government to tell Kenyans if they intend to take more loans to run Kenya or the heavy taxing will take care of all the budget including the debt.
“The government cannot overtax Kenyans and at the same time continue borrowing to run the country. It should be very clear the step they are taking,” says Muchela.
Tom Nyagechanga, a Kenya National Farmers Federation (Kenaff), Commodity representative in Trans Nzoia said the continued high cost of fuel and basic commodities continues to subject citizens to suffering, saying parliamentarians should have considered making amendments to reduce hefty taxes.
Joseph Sang, a farmer from Chepkanga in Uasin Gishu County said he expects the budget estimates that will enable expansion of the agricultural subsidy program.
“The government has funded fertilizer subsidy well. There is a need to expand the program to enable farmers to access subsidized seeds and agrochemicals to address the skyrocketing cost of food production,” said Sang.
In West Pokot, residents are eagerly waiting to hear decisions that will shape their economic and social landscape. They anticipate increased development, improved infrastructure, and enhanced social services, with the budget estimates expected to be delivered tomorrow.
“Our children deserve quality education and we hope the budget will prioritize investments in schools and educational resources since we are a marginalized county,” stated Mary Chepurai.
Infrastructure development, particularly road construction and maintenance, remains a pressing issue for residents of West Pokot.
In the Mount Kenya region, residents claimed they were hoping the government will prioritize the revival of the coffee industry.
[Report by Daniel Chege, Nikko Tanui, Jesse Sikali, Mary Imenza, Titus Too, Irisheel Shanzu, Clinton Ambujo and Lydia Nyawira] The Standard
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