Lobby fingers Jubilee regime for waste, graft and poor delivery
An international non-governmental organisation yesterday fingered the Jubilee government over what it described as rampant corruption and wastage of public money.
Amnesty International in a report also cited excessive borrowing as among the issues hindering the implementation of the Bill of Rights during its 10 years in power.
“A human rights-based budget analysis of the last five years demonstrates low social sector spending. In this regard, social protection, health, education, and water and sanitation averaged only 11 per cent of the total budget, and a meager 3 per cent of GDP for the period 2018-2021,” says the report.
With increased debt servicing costs already crowding out 38 per cent of the total budget and 63 per cent of the total domestic revenues, the scorecard shows low investments in the social sector make the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights impossible to attain.
“Kenya currently has a poor ranking of 53 out of 120 countries in the global International Budget Partnership Kenya Annual Survey. The survey assesses the quality of public participation, budget transparency and oversight. It ranks Kenya sixth behind South Africa,” the report says. Releasing the findings Lead Researcher and Human Rights Consultant, Lawrence Mute (right) said the scorecard showed that the Jubilee administration failed to realise critical human rights obligations to meaningfully enable people to enjoy fundamental freedoms and rights as envisaged in the Constitution.
“Various policy, legislative and institutional measures were under-resourced, minimised, or did not prioritise the public’s right to information and participation. The next administration is advised to frame its development and governance obligations within a human rights centred approach,” said Mute.
