Before you vote: The truth about funds spent on Galana Kulalu

Is it true that only Sh5 billion been spent on the Galana Kulalu irrigation project?

“…Today, as the president said, Galana, which is our signature programme, is going to be rolling out 30,000 bags from July, 30,000 bags every  month, and we have not spent the Sh15 billion that is being discussed around, we have spent less than a third of that money…” - Deputy President William Ruto at the Jubilee manifesto launch on June 26, 2017.

Nation Newsplex consulted historical budgets and the Sector Report on Agriculture compiled by the Treasury and published in September 2016.

They reveal that the government allocated the following amounts for the Galana Kulalu Project: Sh4.5 billion in 2013/2014; Sh3.5 billion in 2014/2015; Sh3.5 billion in 2015/2016; Sh3.2 billion in 2016/2017; and Sh0.6 billion in 2017/2018. All that comes to a total of Sh15.3 billion.

The Deputy President does not provide any evidence that these amounts may have been reduced, even in supplementary budgets.

For example, neither of the two supplementary budgets in the 2014/2015 financial year reduced funds from the Sh3.5 billion allocated to the project.

Furthermore, if less than a third of the funds were being spent, it is not clear why amounts as large as Sh3.5 billion were allocated repeatedly.

Based on the budget information available to the public, there is no evidence that only a fifth of Sh15 billion was spent.