No preparations for Budget Day so far

Thursday, 02 June 2011 00:04 BY ISAAC ONGIRI

GRAVE MATTERS: Speaker Kenneth Marende with National Assembly clerk Patrick Gichohi.

PARLIAMENT is not making any arrangements for this year’s “budget day” which Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta plans to read on Wednesday.
National Assembly clerk Patrick Gichohi who is normally in charge of the pompous budget day planning told The Star his office has not been formally informed about the planned budget day and therefore it was not within their plan.
Gichohi said no arrangements for invitation of guests normally done by a special committee working under his office has been made either. “I have not been given any directions by the speaker to make any arrangements for the budget day. We also just read about it in the press,” Gichohi said.
Ahead of the budget reading ceremony, parliament is engaged in a week long plan with security arrangement being made prior to the day.
Over 600 guests are also normally invited by the speaker through the clerk to grace the occasion through an advanced arrangement closely monitored by the clerk.
The President’s security team is normally deployed to the national assembly in bits three days to the ceremony with through cleaning ordered all over the national assembly which is closely monitored by protocol officers from the Office of the President.
The national assembly directorate also meets during the season to budget for the speaker’s multi-million garden party which is normally attended by the President, MPs and other dignitaries. “Really there is nothing going on about the budget, “he said.
The Speaker is today expected to make a ruling on the fate of the budget, a move that will clear the air over the confusion in which politicians have clashed over whether Uhuru should be allowed to come to parliament to read the budget statement.
The whole nation will focus on Marende this afternoon as he reads the statement which he was yesterday working on. His take will lay ground for the protection of the integrity of the constitution or open a pandora’s box for future mutilation of the brand new constitution.
Meanwhile the committee on budget chaired by Maragwa MP Elias Mbau has written to the Treasury urging the treasury to hand over the estimates to the committee in order to avert a looming national cri crisis.