No hurdle to 2017 budget at National Assembly – Presidency

The Presidency, yesterday, said there was no threat to approval and speedy passage of the 2017 budget currently being scrutinised by the National Assembly, ahead of passage, next year.

A top source at the Presidency, who spoke with The Guardian, said recent interactions with the lawmakers on proposals and framework for implementation of the budget were routine.

He said the fate of the budget was secure, and that the document was at no time under threat of being abandoned.

'Meetings with the National Assembly is an ongoing engagement on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF/FSP) currently before the Assembly. It is a meeting held in camera, and there is nothing unusual about it.

Any time there is a document like that before the Assembly, the originating and related agencies interact with relevant committees, to provide perspectives and stem delays that may occur due to lack of proper understanding of why certain proposals were made. The MTEF/FSP provides the framework for the 2017 budget. And the earlier it gets the approval of the Assembly, the better for submission of the 2017 budget,' the source said.