Introducing Pork Politics?

A BIS Post a.k.a blogger in shags.

After the fireworks of the Sexual Offences Bill passes, the next bill to read carefully through is the fiscal management bill 2006 – a well meaning bill that will allow parliament greater scrutiny of the country's budget and spending operations through the creation of a budget office and a fiscal analysis & appropriations committee in parliament.

My main concern is a clause which requires the minister of finance to incorporate comments and recommendation of the committee in preparation of the budget which may amount to the formal introduction of pork politics to Kenya in which case bills will be held up at the whim of an MP so that a need of his constituents may be satisfied. i.e. extra unplanned projects are added to bills at the last minute so it may be passed . While the committee of 17 members has 8 government and 7 opposition representatives, parliamentarians always come together across party lines whenever their welfare is at stake as was demonstrated last week.