Nakuru County Government heads to Coast for bonding despite cash crisis

Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua has organized a five day bonding retreat in Mombasa with Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) even as counties and the country grapple with a cash crisis.
The joint retreat by the Executive, Public Service Board members and the Assembly comes at a time when the chamber is at logger heads with the executive.
A source privy to the retreat indicate the coast sanctuary will cost the county Sh 15 million which some MCAs have described as unnecessary waste of meager resources.
"The county has other key priorities which should take precedence and the trip is unnecessary at this time," nominated MCA Margaret Wanjiku said.
Some of the senior county officers and MCAs traveled over the weekend and the Governor is expected to join the group later in the week.
But Lake View Ward Simon Wanyoike defended the retreat saying it is a working trip which will offer them an opportunity to engage the executive on how to enhance service delivery.
"We intend to use the session with the executive to take them to task on certain issues and how we can improve service delivery in the county," he said.
The county is among 14 counties that controller of budgets has fingered for overspending in domestic and international travels and also tops the list of counties that have lowest absorption of development funds according to report released last week.
Out of Sh 8.2billion received in the 2014/ 2015 financial only a paltry Sh 1.6 billion was used on development while Sh 6.6 billion was spent on recurrent expenditure.
Despite spending little on development revenue collection improved from Sh1.8 billion to Sh 2.2 billion.
The Assembly last week questioned the recruitment of 25 extra ward administrators and hiring of senior officers for non-existent positions.
Tempers flared after the Liason Committee led by Speaker Susan Kihika was informed that the board had recruited 80 ward administrators instead of 55 as required.
"Did you consider the wage bill when you recruited for the position of a deputy sub-county administrator, which you created without seeking the authority of the assembly?" Kihika posed.