National News

State House to spend K2.6bn in 2012/13

State House says it expects to spend K2.6 billion or slightly more in the current 2012/13 fiscal year against its K1.8 billion planned budget.

The statement comes amid a report by our sister newspaper, Weekend Nation, which established that State House has already spent the K2.6 billion in the last five months.

Reads the statement, in part: “The fact of the matter is that actual expenditure for State House during the 2011/2012 budget was K2.5 billion. The new administration also found debts amounting to K600 million.

“Treasury allocated K1.8 billion during the 2012/13 fiscal year; thus lower by K700 million than the actual budget provided last year.

“Out of the K1.8 billion allocated for this financial year, State House paid some of its outstanding debts amounting to K400 million.

The statement says expenditure details by individual government ministries and departments will be provided by the Minister of Finance during the mid-year budget review in Parliament in line with the Public Finance Management Act.

Asked why he could not give these facts when Weekend Nation sought details for their story last week, presidential press officer Steve Nhlane on Sunday said he should be contacted later in the day; but efforts to get the answer did not materialise as we went to press.

Weekend Nation, through three well-placed sources—two from the Ministry of Finance and one from the National Audit Office—established that State House had already spent the K2.6 billion in five months.

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