Friday, June 28, 2013 – An attempt by Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo to reduce the amount allocated for the purchase of laptops for pupils joining class one next year flopped yesterday. The MP defeated the proposed amendments to the Appropriation Bill 2013, by 98 to 75 votes of the 173 members with one abstention in the results announced after the division.
Jubilee MPs put up a spirited fight against their Cord counterparts to ensure the changes introduced to the Bill were defeated. The heated debate took political affiliations.
In the amendments, Midiwo was seeking to deduct Sh47 billion from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s budget of Sh77.3 billion to cater for the teachers salaries and allocation to political parties kitty.
The ministry would have been left with Sh30.3 billion and TSC, which employs teachers, would have gotten a fair boost of its budget had the amendments gone through.
TSC had been allocated 148.4 billion for salaries and expenses, including general administration and planning, teacher management, field services and quality assurance and standards.
Midiwo and other Cord MPs wanted TSC given the money to cater for the salary demands by teachers, who downed their tools on Monday.
The debate was marked with a fair share of drama as members engaged each other in name calling.
Confrontation started when the Gem MP was moving amendments to the Appropriation Bill (National Assembly Bill No.11 of 2013) at the Committee stage.
Had Midiwo’s amendment sailed through, it would have been a blow to the Jubilee government which promised free laptops to all pupils joining Class One next year in its manifesto.
The government has allocated Sh53 billion for the free laptops, with the first phase of the project costing Sh17 billion.
The success of the changes would have also seen parties fund increased from Sh340 million to close to Sh3 billion.
An appropriation Bill (or running Bill) is a legislative motion that authorizes the government to spend money in accordance with the details contained in the report of the House Budget and Appropriation committee that was approved by the House two weeks ago.
THE AFRICAN Daily Post
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