The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, and his Internal Affairs counterpart, Francis Saah Nyumalin emphasized the importance of strategic prioritization, local empowerment, and effective implementation in the government's formulation of the 2026 national budget.
Speaking at the Executive Budget Hearing on Friday, Minister Ngafuan praised the Ministry of Internal Affairs and officials at the county level for maximizing limited resources, citing the government's efforts to align the upcoming budget with the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AID), the administration's national development blueprint.
Addressing Internal Affairs officials, Ngafuan remarked, "You are closest to our people, which makes your empowerment crucial for achieving targets. The budget we are crafting must align with the ARREST Agenda."
Ngafuan acknowledged that while the 2025 national budget had a significant increase from the previous year (from US$788 million to US$880 million), it still fell short of the total requests from ministries, agencies, and commissions by over $2 billion. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing efficiently and highlighted the need for better coordination in the budget process to prevent delays in implementation.
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"We are in a situation where demands are doubling or tripling what we have to give," Ngafuan stated. "So, what do we do? We have to prioritize our priorities. It's not just about how much; it's how well."
The finance minister emphasized efficiency, saying that some agencies produce better outcomes with fewer resources, while others struggle despite having more.
"Those who use the little well justify getting more. Your ministry has shown results. There are still challenges, yes, but we acknowledge the progress," he added.
He also called for better and earlier coordination in the budget process to avoid implementation delays, adding that the government aims to submit the national budget to the Legislature before October 31 and secure passage before the new fiscal year begins.
The Internal Affairs Minister, however, commended the improved cooperation between the Finance Ministry and spending entities, noting the positive shift towards more transparent engagement. He recognized the Ministry of Finance for its responsive approach to meeting the needs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including internal reallocations to fund key programs like land governance initiatives.
"During my seven years in the Legislature, I don't recall a time when this kind of transparent, open engagement with spending entities happened," Minister Nyumalin said. "I commend the Ministry of Finance for this approach."
He acknowledged that while the Ministry of Internal Affairs had a "tight budget," internal reallocations enabled them to fund key programs that initially lacked budgetary support -- notably, land governance initiatives.
"Through internal shifting, we were able to support programs like the Land Governance Support Program," Nyumalin stated. "Minister Ngafuan and his team have done well to listen to our needs and respond within the constraints."
However, he stressed critical funding gaps remain, especially in salaries and logistics for local government officials and traditional leaders. Nyumalin outlined the burden of supporting: Over 200,000 local chiefs, approximately 500 statutory district chiefs, and between 1,000 and 1,500 general town chiefs.
"These traditional leaders play a pivotal role in local governance. We can't have them pretend to work while we pretend to pay them," he said pointedly.
The Internal Affairs Minister also expressed the need for more timely and reliable disbursement of county development funds to empower local administrations, reduce dependency on the central government, and operationalize the government's decentralization strategy.
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Both ministers underscored the crucial role of traditional leaders in local governance and emphasized the necessity of more timely and reliable disbursement of county development funds to empower local administrations and advance decentralization efforts.
They pledged continued collaboration to enhance budget implementation and service delivery nationwide, with Minister Ngafuan expressing optimism for progress in the coming year. The Executive Budget Hearing continues as the Ministry of Finance prepares to finalize and submit the draft 2026 National Budget for legislative review.
"We haven't solved all the problems, but where we are today compared to where we started shows clear progress," Ngafuan concluded. "Next year must be better than this year -- and we need your plans, your honesty, and your partnership to make it happen."
