Africa-Press – Kenya. It was a busy week as usual for William Ruto’s Cabinet Secretaries.
The Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u was however the man of the moment as he presented Ruto’s maiden budget statement before Parliament.
Arriving in the famous Treasury’s Volkswagen Passat with the symbolic Budget briefcase, Ndung’u was only accompanied by security and Treasury PS.
It took him three hours and 20 minutes to spell out how the state will raid your pocket to fund its Sh3.7 trillion budget.
“This is a budget of many firsts. We have a new regime that came into power when the economy was healing from Covid-19 effects, Russia -Ukraine crisis and deep into a global financial crisis,” Ndung’u said.
Susan Wafula joined the Council of Governors and other partners in a two-day consultative forum in Naivasha to strengthen health sector-specific intergovernmental collaboration and address emerging issues in the health sector.
During the meeting, the two levels of government agreed to jointly facilitate the payment of stipends to Community Health Promoters.
It was also agreed that the community health promoters will be provided with kits that will enhance medical response at the community level.
On Health financing, the governors and the ministry agreed to reform the National Health Insurance Fund to a Social health insurance Fund through a stakeholder engagement process.
The two levels of government agreed that funding for level 1, 2 and 4 facilities will be financed through a publicly financed mechanism and individual capitation.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki this week committed to increasing the ministry’s budget for the war against illicit brew and substance abuse but demanded accountability from all the agencies involved.
They include National Police Service, National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse and National Government Administrative Officers.
“Beyond the statistics on the status of this war, we need results,” he said.
He said the fight was no longer a general matter but rather a personal issue adding that the vice was going to be categorised alongside terrorism and banditry.
Kindiki later on Wednesday flew to Lamu a day after terrorists killed 16 security officials in an ambush in the area.
The three-day visit to the region which is near the porous Kenya-Somalia border comes amid fears al Shabaab terror group is planning large-scale attacks in the area.
Security agencies have been mobilized to counter the increasing rate of terror-related attacks near the border.
Trade CS Moses Kuria on Monday changed tune and said he wanted to have the minimum retail price for a quarter litre of wines and spirits sold at a minimum of Sh250
In March, Kuria said he had sought amendments to have the minimum retail price of 250ml liquor sold at Sh300.
During that time, Kuria said the move was aimed at making alcohol affordable to youth who are the main consumers of cheap liquor.
To justify his decision, Kuria said selling a quantity of alcohol below Sh250 indicates that the product is likely illicit.
“I have given the Finance Committee a recommendation that any 250ml wines and spirits should not be sold below cost price. Where that cost price is going to be published by the Kenya Revenue Authority from time to time,” he said.
Roads and Transport CS Kipchuma Murkomen on Thursday formed a multi-agency clinic to enhance road safety education.
The road safety clinic will ascertain the functionality of speed limiters on all public service vehicles and commercial vehicles with a tare weight of 3049kgs and above.
“Following an increase in road carnage in the recent past, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Roads and Transport outlined several safety measures for implementation by various agencies and stakeholders,” the statement read.
Some of the stakeholders involved are the National Police Service, National Transport and Safety Authority, Public Transport Operators, Commercial Transport Operators, Speed Limiter Vendors and Boda Boda Operators.
Murkomen said that through the support of the stakeholders, media and the public, the behaviour and attitude among road users will change.
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