Defence spending to be cut

The government is planning to cut defence expenditure by 22 percent in the next financial year, the semi-official 'Sunday Vision' reported. It said the move was aimed at funding other priorities such as education, poverty alleviation and paying depositers in the collapsed Greenland Bank. The government also intends to save money by postponing the issuing of national identity cards, the census and a new jet for the president. Defence expenditure this financial year is expected to top 213 billion shillings, and the government wants to cut it drastically to 170 billion, the newspaper said. Donors have expressed growing concern about the rise in defence expenditure.