Shadow Finance Minister James Mbatia
By Alawi Masare

Posted Tuesday, June 16 2015 at 10:00
In April, this year, the government spent a whopping Sh106 billion to implement Big Results Now in the education sector


Dodoma. Spend more, get more results—and that is what seems to be the only explanation for the government’s unusual spending, which witnessed about Sh106 billion being spent within one month in the education sector alone.
In April, this year, the government spent a whopping Sh106 billion to implement Big Results Now (BRN) Initiative in the education sector—50 times what the sector spent between July, last year, and March, this year.

But in that whopping spending, no one seems to give the clues on what the money was really spent for, paying debts, building new schools or paying teachers arrears—it was just massive spending for BRN in the education sector.

According to details unveiled yesterday in Dodoma, spending for the education sector between July 2014 and March 2015 was only an average of sh2.29 billion a month.

Education was not alone in unusual massive spending within one month. There were the agriculture and transport sectors, which also recorded a sudden jump in spending during April, this year—just two months before the close of the government’s 2014/15 financial year.

As the opposition presented its alternative Sh22.017 trillion budget for the next financial year, it raised concern over unusual spending in April this year.

Shadow Finance Minister James Mbatia told the National Assembly yesterday that in implementing the Big Results Now (BRN) initiative, the government spent more than expected in sectors of education, transport and agriculture.

For instance, the monthly average spending for transport up to March, this year was Sh5.58 billion, but in April alone, the expenditures rose eight times, reaching Sh49.5 billion.

While agriculture spending between July, last year, and March, this year, was only an average of Sh1.2 billion per month, in April, it rose dramatically to an average of Sh18 billion — 15 times.

But no clear explanation is given to justify these unusual expenditures.

Mr Mbatia said BRN implementation spent an average of Sh52.62 billion per month between July 2014 and March 2015 but in April alone the initiative spent Sh123.3 billion.

“These are the kind of expenditures which are not only suspicious but are also shocking,” he said.

Sh100bn in dubious education spending - News