Preparations for the Meetings with the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning for 2025 Budget Policy Statement.

The Economic Planning Principal Secretary, James Muhati, Chaired a review meeting with Directors and Heads of SAGAs at the Treasury Building to discuss the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) Wednesday,19th February, 2025.

The meeting was held in preparation for the upcoming meetings with the respective National Assembly Departmental Committee.

During the meeting, a presentation on Finance and National Planning was delivered by the Chairperson of the Budget Committee, Ms. Julia Ng’ang’a focusing on the 2025 Budget Policy Statement for the State Department.

The presentation highlighted the status of the FY 2024/2025 Budget implementation as of 31st December, 2024, detailing the mandate and programmes of SDEP and its SAGAs. It also included an analysis of the cumulative financial performance and the actual outputs achieved in relation to the 2024/2025 Fiscal Year.

The meeting also served as an important platform for updating the State Department for Economic Planning (SDEP) team on the key achievements made during the first quarter of the FY 2024/2025. This included programmes such as; the Economic Policy and National Planning, the National Statistical Information Services, and Monitoring and Evaluation Services.

The presentation further provided a thorough update on the capital status of the State Department’s projects, comparing the actual outputs to the approved targets for each programme.

It was noted that inadequate funding has significantly impacted the implementation and completion of these projects.

“Despite these challenges, SDEP remains committed to supporting the government’s economic development agenda and appreciates the positive collaboration and support from the Committee, which has been instrumental in fulfilling the State Department’s mandate,” PS Muhati reiterated.

Additionally, the SAGAs pointed out that the challenges they are facing due to the funding gap in the 2024/2025 Budget Plan, should not recur particularly during the FY 2025/2026 onwards.

Moreover, they said that the current financial constraint has hindered their ability to execute capacity-building programmes and implementation of their core mandates.

PS Muhati emphasized that effective communication with the stakeholders on the progress of SDEP programmes and projects is essential in raising awareness and protecting the State Department’s reputation.

In attendance were: Economic Planning Secretary, Timothy Gakuu, Senior Chief Finance Officer, Julia Ng’ang’a, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Director General, Dr. Macdonald Obudho,National Council for Population and Development, Director General, Dr.Mohamed Sheikh,SDEP Directors ,SAGAs Senior Officials among others.