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The latest budgetary changes show that President William Ruto's economic advisors have been allocated a total of Sh204 million to cater for various expenses such as buying cars, furniture, paying rent, among others.
This is a sharp increase from the Sh7.9 million that the Policy Analysis and Research vote had initially allocated in the Executive Office of the President during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure.
The President's Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) is a crucial part of President Ruto's administration, tasked with implementing measures to revive the economy from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, drought, and the Ukraine war.
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The CEA is led by renowned economist David Ndii, and other members include Dr Augustine Cheruiyot, Mohammed Hassan, and Dr Nancy Laibuni, among others.
Of the Sh204 million allocated, 45% (Sh92 million) is earmarked for buying new cars for the new officials under the President's office.
Previously, there was no allocation for vehicle purchases under Ukur Yatani's National Treasury leadership. Additionally, the vehicle maintenance budget rose by Sh10 million from the original Sh328,700 initially set aside.
The CEA has also been awarded Sh20 million to buy furniture as they settle down to work on generating two policy advisory reports for the head of state by June 2023.
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The hospitality budget also saw a significant increase from Sh4.9 million to Sh18 million. The team has been allocated Sh18.6 million to purchase specialized equipment and machinery, while another Sh9 million is set aside for rentals to set up new offices.
Domestic travel was not left out, with the CEA receiving Sh15 million, up from the initial Sh1.1 million allocation.
It is evident that President Ruto's administration values the input of the CEA in achieving its economic goals, hence the increased budget allocation.