The Nakuru county assembly has protested at the delay in tabling the Sh15 billion budget.
The law provides that the budget estimates be tabled before the assembly by June 30, which marks the beginning of a new financial year.
But the county executive committee (CEC) member for finance, Joseph Kiuna, did not table the budget estimates at the assembly last week because the process of public participation had not been completed.
The assembly has accused the executive of failing to adhere to the timelines and said this might see the budget's approval delayed for one month.
Most counties and the national government have tabled budget estimates for the current financial year.
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According to the speaker, Joel Kairu, the assembly received the 2018/2019 budget estimates long after the expiry of the timeline.
“We were supposed to carry out public participation and validation of the estimates in April, but due to delays in submission of the documents to the assembly we are now forced to conduct the process this week,” he said.
The speaker said MCAs had yet to debate and pass the county fiscal strategy paper (CIDP), a key component of the budget-making process which was supposed to be submitted before the assembly by February 28.
Pending approval
“MCAs have to first to deal with the CIDP before debating the 2018/2019 estimates. This will take us about a month,” said Mr Kairu.
This means that Governor Lee Kinyanjui’s administration might have to use half of its Sh15 billion budget pending the approval of the 2018/2019 estimates.
This is likely to cause unnecessary delays in development projects. The county did not initiate a single project in the 2017/2018 budget.
Kairu, who last month survived an impeachment motion, yesterday claimed that failing to adhere to stipulated budget timelines was part of the reason MCAs wanted to send him home.
The speaker said members of the budget and appropriations committee had resolved to expedite the process and that any further delays might have legal implications.
The county treasury has taken responsibility for the delay and but said the process was back on track.
“It took long for the assembly to approve the executive nominees. We were new in office but we have learned from these mistakes,” said the finance CEC.
Civil rights groups have blamed the delay on laxity in the finance department.
“The delay in preparing documents for approval by the assembly will definitely harm the much-awaited funds for development and the general running the county,” said Kemunche Masese, the programme director of the Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance.
