Muturi lauds World Bank’s support to Kenya

The Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Justin Muturi has lauded the World Bank for the institution’s continued support to Kenya since independence, noting that they have helped accelerate sustainable growth and promote transformative development.

Speaking when he met a team from the World Bank Kenya Office led by Mr. Keith Hansen( the World Bank Country Director) and Ms. Jumoke-Jagun Dokomnu (International FinanceCorporation, Regional Director), Muturi observed that the bank has been an invaluable partner in the implementation of the government’s development strategies.

He however urged the officials to help Kenya Institute Public Investment Management reforms to ensure that the projects the government undertakes have a real impact to the people they are intended for.

Underscoring the place of citizen engagement in decision making both at the national and county levels, he decried the influx of stalled projects in the country, due to lack of proper assessment and public involvement of these projects during conception.

” We must embrace the public’s input when initiating projects at both levels of government. Let the public say which projects they think will impact them best, and not dictate what we as leaders think they need”, he explained.

The Speaker further attributed the high level of stalled projects to poor assessment of the cost and benefit economic returns to the country.

Currently, there are stalled projects estimated to be Kshs.390 billion shillings worth. The Speaker noted that the bank’s sister institution- the International Monetary Fund has recommended that they be abandoned yet public funds have been sunk into them.

On his part, the World Bank Country Director, Mr. Keith Hansen acknowledged that Kenya just like other country’s that the bank has diplomatic presence has had challenges with regard to public investment management, but added that the bank is now focused on developing capacity and support in favour of proper public investment.

He hailed Kenya for the economic growth that the country has realised in the last decade, by embracing sound economic and fiscal policies, resulting to impressive poverty reduction.

He however noted that even though Kenya was in the course of moving forward, the country has a duty to support the growth of the private sector so as to expand the economy and offer a life line to thousands of young graduates joining the labour market every year.

” The government has a role to help the private sector to grow and absorb tens of thousands of young people graduating every year. We’re here to help Kenya Institute reforms and change of paradigm to realise private sector driven growth”, he said.

The Speaker and the team from the World Bank further agreed on the need to collaborate in reinvigorating the engagement between Parliament and the bank. The two institutions have been having such engagements, including capacity building reforms to Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and that of the Departmental Committee on Finance and Planning.

Also in the meeting were Mr. Martin Masinde, Senior Deputy Director, Parliamentary Budget Office, Ms. Camille Nuamah ( World Bank Country Manager) and Ms. Vera Rosauer, World Bank External Affairs Officer.

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