VIDEO: Kenyan MPs shuns budget reading to drink alcohol

Kenyan Members of Parliament (MPs) were in the spotlight on Friday after it emerged that some of them snubbed the annual budgetary reading in Parliament to drink alcohol.


As Kenya announced a record increase in budgetary spending, which saw an increase in prices of basic commodities, Citizen TV reported that the MPs, who will debate and implement the budget in the coming year were up to no good.

The MP's according to some reports could not be fussed about the budget reading, with some leaving for the Parliamentary bar to take drinks while Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich read his budgetary estimates for the fiscal year 2016/17.

Sources told News24 that close to 50 MPs were at the bar drinking while some chose to catch up with the budgetary reading on national television from the comfort of the restaurant just a few metres from the Parliamentary chambers.

"The bar was full, with MPs having fun while the budget reading took place," one of the sources said.

The behaviour by MPs was shocking, considering that the budget, The reported, left Kenya with a KES 700 billion deficit, according to Daily Nation.

Of the KES 2.3 trillion budget, Kenya was expected to finance KES 1.5 trillion out of revenue collection, with the balance covered via internal and external borrowing, the report said.

The Standard further reported that there were several factors that could derail the implementation of the expanded budget, with fears raised over the government's ability to deliver, considering several key factors.