The Commissioner of Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) Johnstone Muthama has urged the National Treasury to exempt the education sector from budget cuts brought about as a result of the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024.
He also said that justice and health sectors from budget cuts.
The former Machakos Senator while speaking to the media on Thursday, July 4, 2024 said that the planned austerity measures should not impede critical sectors.
“With the government finding itself in a precarious situation due to the economic meltdown, the much-needed budget cuts shouldn’t affect our judiciary, health, and education sectors.
“We can delay the construction of roads and dams, but we cannot gamble with the education of our children, the health of the nation and our justice system,” he said.
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This came a day after the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) halted the hiring of 11 additional Court of Appeal judges and the recruitment of other Judiciary staff citing National Treasury advice.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, who chairs JSC, said the National Treasury had advised Judiciary to cut down on expenditure by at least 15 per cent.
There is also fear that the JSS intern teachers who have been yearning to be confirmed to Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) terms since 2023 might end up missing out to be hired after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) budget was cut by KSh18 billion with a directive to differ the hiring of the intern teachers.
President William Ruto who declined to sign the controversial Finance Bill 2024 following outcries from people as well as the staged demos that saw a section of demonstrators storm Parliament following its passage and directed the National Treasury to provide Supplementary estimates and budget cuts on projects deemed not to be important in different departments to ensure that we live within our means.
The National Assembly is yet to act on President Ruto’s memorandum sending the Bill back to the House.
By Vostine Ratemo
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