𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰

 The Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining has met with the State Departments under its purview to consider their Budget Policy Statement (BPS) for the Financial Year 2024/25 and the medium term.

 In a session chaired by the Committee Vice Chair, Hon. Charles Kamuren (Baringo South), the three State Departments; Environment and Climate Change, Forestry and Mining, apprised the Members of the key policies underlying the expenditure ceilings and indicative performance targets linked to the policies and program in the 2024 BPS.

 “To aid the Committee in its consideration of the BPS, you are requested to provide a list of projects, including priority Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) projects, and the respective expenditure ceilings,” Hon. Kamuren told the Principal Secretary of Environment and Climate Change, Eng. Festus Ngeno, who was the first to appear before the Committee.

Eng. Ngeno in his presentation told the Members that among the key policies underlying the expenditure ceiling for 2024 in his department were natural resource governance, revenue and tax base, sustainable waste management and natural resource conservation restoration and management.

The PS further stated that resolving 100 per cent of public interest litigation environmental cases was among the indicative performance targets linked to policies and programs in their BPS 2024 as a department.

The PS for the State Department of Mining, Mr. Elijah Mwangi, was next to appear before the Committee. According to the PS, the key policies underpinning expenditure ceilings in his department include mining state reforms and legislative reforms aimed at amending the Mining Act and the development of a Mineral Value Addition Act.

“The State Department of Mining is focusing on full operationalization of National Mining Corporation and empowering it to embark on the exploitation of strategic minerals including Coltan, REE, Graphite and Manganese,” Mr. Mwangi told the Committee.

Through the session Chair, the Members equally took the departments to task to provide them with the latest information on the FY 2023/24 program performance comprising second quarter cumulative financial performance, actual outputs achieved relative to the approved targets in the 2023/24 Program Based Budget and status of capital projects, including the status of the BETA projects.

 Mr. Gitonga Mugambi the Forestry PS was the final one to appear before the Committee. He told the Members that the key output of the forest conservation and management program was the development of a 30 per cent cover strategy and the recruitment of youth and women to the Green Army.

 After the submissions, the Committee is now expected to report that it will present to the Budget and Appropriation Committee for consideration.