The budget reading slated for Thursday this week will go through as planned after National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi gave the approval.
This comes after Muturi had stated that he would be hesitant to allow National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani to read the Sh3.31 trillion budget unless Parliament adopts the 2022 Division of Revenue Bill, which shares revenue between counties and the national government.
He directed that the final estimates and Finance Bill will now be tabled after the budget statement.
Muturi stated that it has become necessary to make the change in timelines because of the truncated Parliament calendar given the upcoming August 9 General Election which will see MPs adjourn indefinitely in June.
In 2020 the High Court ruled that the Division of Revenue Bill must be approved by Parliament before the tabling of Budget Estimates and reading of budget speech.
A three-judge bench in a High Court petition number 277 and 232 of 2019 ruled that future budget policy pronouncements unveiled in Parliament without the inclusion of the division revenue bill will be unconstitutional.
The Division of Revenue Bill was approved by the Senate last week and is due to be presented to the President for assent to law.
Yatani in a public notice stated he will deliver the budget statement for the FY2022/23 in the National Assembly on April 7 from 3.00pm.
The budget statement will be presented two months earlier than usual in June which is expected to be the last for Yatani under the current administration.
The net spending for the financial year that commences in July is estimated at Sh3.3 trillion.
