Parliamentary sitting. (Photo: Jemma Nunu/Facebook).

A member of the National Parliament has expressed concerns over the delays in tabling the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget by the Minister of Finance and Planning.

Hon. Juol Nhomngek made the comment as the financial year 2023-2024 concluded on June 30, with the finance ministry suspending payments to government spending agencies until a the new budget is assented into law.

Addressing a parliamentary sitting on Monday, Nhomngek lamented that the country has missed the East Africa Community’s June budget calendar that the member states have ascribed to.

According to him, all partner states, except South Sudan, have tabled and passed their budgets with Kenya having its ceiling revoked following protests.

“Honorable Speaker, we operate according to the law in this house. Now, according to the Conduct of Business Regulation, the financial year had started today and financial budge is not in place,” he said.

“We would like to know what is the statement on this budget by the Minister of Finance. We should know so that we make a resolution to postpone the budget.”

“We cannot operate as normal. The East Africa countries have already made their own budget. This is the procedure and we need to know what is the fate of the budget of 2024-2025.”

In her response, the Speaker of Parliament, Jemma Nunu Kumba, stated that it is only the Minister of Finance who can answer questions regarding the delay in budget presentation.

She advised that the MP should raise the concern tomorrow when the Minister of Finance is submits the quarterly reports for the year 2023-2024 budget execution.

“But in this procedure is not ready for our sitting now please take your seat. Today is 1st July. We can still continue with this sitting while we inquire from the minister of finance about the budget.”

“You are right, yes, the budge had started this month. Tomorrow, the minister of finance will be here to present his 2 quarterly reports to the house so that will the time you will ask him why the budget did not come.”

The Minister of Finance and Planning recently told parliament that the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget had been passed by the economic cluster and was awaiting presentation to the cabinet for further deliberations.