MCAs fail to pass county budgets in power play

As the financial year came to a close yesterday, a number of counties were left in a state of paralysis.

This is after MCAs refused to approve budgets to punish the governors.

The biggest shock was experienced in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Baringo and Embu, where MCAs declined to approve the budgets, leaving the governors with no money to run their governments. This means the county governments cannot access the allocations for this financial year without the lawmakers’ approval.

In Nairobi, MCAs yesterday boycotted a sitting meant to debate the proposed Sh36 billion budget, resulting in a lack of quorum.

Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Michael Ogada said the executive had not provided the final draft to the House Business Committee for debate. Therefore, MCAs could not debate on something that had not yet been tabled.

Nairobi Finance Executive Gregory Mwakanongo was supposed to table the budget but failed to do so. Nairobi County Clerk Jacob Ngwele will henceforth embark on the vote-on-account provision, which would see the city only access 50 per cent of the proposed funds.

 DEVELOPMENT FUND

Sources disclosed that MCAs were unhappy with the executive’s refusal to set aside Sh1.7 billion for ward development fund.

In Mombasa, the tabling of the budget was disrupted for the second time in a week by civil society groups who claimed the county assembly had not given the public adequate time to scrutinise the budget estimates.

On Monday some activists disrupted the same forum held by Budget Committee claiming the booklets, which had been distributed to the public with the Sh9.9 billion budget, were ineligible.

They later presented a petition to County Assembly Speaker Thadius Rajwayi demanding adequate time for public scrutiny, which he granted.

In Kisumu, the budget was used by the executive and MCAs as leverage. After this push and pull, the county assembly finally passed a revised budget of Sh8.4 billion, which had been scaled down from Sh10 billion.

MCAs rejected a proposal by the executive to borrow Sh1 billion to plug a deficit.

The executive shot back by reducing the budget. In a letter addressed to the assembly and dated June 29, the executive scrapped the Sh700 million that had been set aside for the development of the county assembly.

In Nyeri, a group of women demanded entry into the county assembly saying they wanted to ensure the allocation to the women fund is doubled.

The over 100 women reportedly from Mathira and Mukurwe-ini constituencies screamed and camped at the gate after Administration Police officers prevented them from accessing the premises.

They had arrived at the gates at 8am and waited calmly for the 2.30pm session to begin.

One of the protesters, Jane Wanjiku, said they had been informed that MCAs were planning to scrap the fund.

Proceedings continued inside the assembly where MCAs debated the 2016-17 budget estimates as chaotic scenes unfolded at the gate.

Nyeri Budget Committee Chairman Duncan Gituanja presented a report on the 2016-2017 budget in the assembly which recommended that the allocation to women fund be increased from Sh30 million to Sh60 million.

The report recommended Governor Nderitu Gachagua’s allocation for foreign and domestic travel be slashed from Sh23 million to Sh8.5 million. Despite the acrimony MCAs passed the Sh6 billion budget.

 RAISE FUNDS

The passage of the 2016/17 appropriation bill in Nakuru was delayed after a row between MCAs and the Executive erupted over funds to recruit nurses and doctors.

Budget and Appropriation Committee Chairman Moses Ndungu said the executive had failed to show how it would raise funds to employ 25 nurses, 32 doctors, 275 nursery school teachers, polytechnic tutors and village elders.

 The situation is the same in Embu, where MCAs declined to pass the Sh5.5 billion budget by failing to show up for debate.

Speaker Kariuki Mate found himself in unfamiliar territory as he was the only member of the assembly in the chamber at the start of the 2:30pm sitting.

He was later joined by Majority Leader Andrew Musakwa, Minority Leader Paul Muchangi, Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Swaleh and Budget Committee Vice Chairman Michael Njeru.

The house quorum which requires at least 11 members to be in the House fell short by seven members.