Big Results Now`yields good results

By Polycarp Machira

Minister for Finance, Saada Mkuya Salum

The government’s ambitious initiative, Big Results Now (BRN) has recorded success in the past few months of implementation, it has been revealed.


By April this year, government revenue through sources initiated by the BRN was Sh338 billion, being 29.14 per cent of the estimated target to collect Sh1.16 trillion in the 2013/2014 fiscal year.

During the fiscal year 2013/2014 the government introduced the BRN initiative as a tool to guide and speed up the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of key strategic projects.

The BRN covers six national result areas of agriculture, education, water, energy, and transport and resource mobilization.

Presenting the national budget for the 2014/2015 fiscal year, minister for Finance, Saada Mkuya Salum said by April BRN ministries received Sh1,566.7 billion which is equivalent to 92 percent of the budgeted resources for the 2013/2014 financial year.

She said funds some Sh226.1 billion were disbursed to rural water, Sh48.4 billion to education while energy got Sh577.5 billion as transport including roads and rail infrastructures received Sh663.6 billion. Agriculture got Sh51.1 billion.

“The recently initiated BRN has shown good results in all sectors and the government will continue supporting them” she said.

Tabling the state of national economy for the 2013/2014 and the 2014/2015 development plan, minister of State in the Presidents Office, Stephen Wassira said the presidential delivery bureau (PDB) in 2013/2014 started scrutinizing the results in the six sectors.

He said the agriculture sector, under the initiative at least 95 extension officers were trained irrigation services, 95 farmers got title deeds for their land, among others.

In education, he said there was increased enrolment in schools as well increased pass rate in the Form Four national examinations from 43.08 in 2012 percent to 58.25 in 2013 percent. In primary school, the pass rate increased from 31.0 percent in 2012 to 50.3 in 2013.

Other big results in the sector, according to the minister included completion of infrastructural development in 56 out of the 264 schools in the first phase.

Energy sector saw power connection to some 138,931 new customers in accordance with the plan to connect 150,000 people in the 2013/2014 and to reduce power lose from 21 percent in 2012 to 19 percent in 2013.

Other results in the sector include the construction of gas pipeline from Mtwara and Songosongo to Dar es Salaam. “By April all pipes have been received for the project and at least 363 kilometres, being 70 percent of the total pipeline have been fixed,” he said.

In the transport sector, the government boasts the introduction of electronic monitoring of goods being transported to different parts of the country.

Another success in the sector includes improved performance at Dar es Salaam Port which saw some 13 million tonnes of goods handled in December 2013 compared to 12 million tones in the previous year.

The rails sector has completed construction of three main bridges along the central railway line at some 293km, 303km and 517 km respectively from Dar es Salaam.

Some three locomotive engines were repaired during the period as payment for some 13 engines and 22 coaches were made by 50 percent.

Water sector saw completion 228 projects in 243 villages within some 98 municipalities in the country. At least 2,640,000 rural residents got access to clean water within six months compared to 300,000 to 500,000 who got the service prior to the BRN initiative.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN