Hon. Samuel Atandi and Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose declared the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson unopposed

Hon. Samuel Atandi and Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose declared the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson unopposed

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 
𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.

Hon. Samuel Atandi (Alego Usonga) and Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose (Endebess) has been declared the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Vice-chairperson, unopposed. 

The presiding clerk for the exercise, Mr Nicholas Emegen, Deputy Director, Directorate of Audit and Appropriations and General Purpose Committees, while making the declaration, noted that only Hon. Atandi and Hon. Pukose presented their nomination papers for the positions by the expiry of the nomination period. Hence, they were elected without any vote required. 

"Hon. Members, by close of the nomination period, only one member, namely Hon. Samuel Atandi, MP, had been duly nominated for the position of the Chairperson, Budget and Appropriations Committee. Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose, CBS, M.P. had been duly nominated for the position of the Vice-chairperson," said Mr. Emegen. 

"Consequently, Hon. Members, by the powers conferred on me by Standing Orders 179(12), I hereby declare Hon. Samuel Atandi duly elected Chairperson, and Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose duly elected Vice-chairperson of the Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations." He added. 

In his remarks, Hon. Atandi thanked Members of the Committee for bestowing him an opportunity to lead them as their Chairperson, further thanking his Party Leader Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga and the President of the Republic of Kenya Hon. (Dr.) William Ruto, for allowing them to work together for the prosperity of Kenya. 

Further, the Budget Committee Chairperson acknowledged that there is a lot in store for the Committee to deliver, ensuring that there is equitable distribution of resources across the Country. 

"We are taking over this Committee at a time when most Members are raising questions about the performance of the previous Committee. We have taken note of some of the issues that have been raised. Some of them are correct, some of them are not correct," said Hon. Atandi. 

"The only thing I want to promise now is that we know the map of the Republic of Kenya, and we know that resource sharing is one of the critical issues that affect peace and harmony in this Country and therefore I am going to ensure that we look at the map of Kenya and ensure that every section of the Country is a beneficiary of the resources that Kenyans bestow on us," he added. 

The Committee Vice-chairperson Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose also thanked the Honorable Members and the President for granting him this opportunity to serve in the Budget Committee, promising to work closely with the Chairperson and Members to ensure that the Committee lives up to its expectations. 

"I want to thank the Honorable Members for giving us this opportunity to serve the Committee in the capacities we are in. And I want to congratulate my Chairperson for being elected as the Chairman of this Committee and in the same breath of the broad-based Government I want to thank His Excellency, President William Ruto, for seeing it fit that I also joined this Committee from another Committee, and I want to promise that I'll work closely with the Chairperson and the Honorable Members to make sure that this Committee lives up to its expectations," said Hon. (Dr.) Pukose. 

Members of the Committee thereafter made their congratulatory remarks while also laying out their expectations of the Committee moving forward.