Muthama: Budget cuts shouldn’t affect health, education

The withdrawal of Finance Bill 2024 prompted the government to propose budget cuts as part of austerity measures to curb ballooning expenditure.

The move continues to draw varied responses with a majority welcoming a proposal to trim spending across the government to compensate for the revenue gap resulting from finance bill rejection

While supporting the move, Johnstone Muthama, a Commissioner at the Parliamentary Service Commission says there are critical sectors whose budget shouldn’t be reviewed downwards.

“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,” he said

According to the former Machakos Senator, while some issues can be deferred, the three must run smoothly and shouldn’t be allowed to run into a cash crunch.

“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