The Nyandarua executive and the assembly are in talks to avert a looming crisis involving the first Sh1.3 billion supplementary budget for the current financial year.
Finance executive Mary Mugwanja on Thursday evening told the Star they were to meet from Friday.
Speaker Wahome Ndegwa and budget committee Kiiru Gachomba chairman confirmed Mungwanja’s remarks. Ndegwa said a few MCAs were to meet the executive on Friday while he will meet the governor on Saturday.
The document was submitted to the assembly last Thursday, hours before the assembly was adjourned for the long recess. It was not introduced to the House as the speaker returned it to the Executive. Copies were, however, made for the members before the original was returned.
A communication from the speaker informed the assembly the Sh1.3 billion document had been submitted to his office. He raised concerns that the executive had reduced the assembly’s budget.
In the last financial year, Sh110 million from the assembly’s unspent budget was returned to the Treasury. The executive has taken away Sh100 million, leaving only Sh10 million. In the current budget, the assembly had been allocated Sh186 million for development. But the executive has deducted Sh36 million.
The Finance executive had also promised Sh50 million for completion of the office block at the assembly. The promise was not honoured.The block is expected to be completed and occupied by March.
Ndegwa said Mugwanja took away the money in disregard of the assembly. He said Mugwanja was usurping the role of the assembly clerk.
right procedure
Some members are unhappy that the speaker had returned the document to the executive. Leader of Majority Edinald King’ori said although there is an agreement that the budget shall be received informally, it is wrong for the speaker to return it without informing his office.
“I request your office follows right procedures, Mr Speaker,” King’ori said.
Kaimbaga MCA Gabriel Gathure said members will not take it kindly when “someone decides he is not going to receive a budget, which he should do and direct to the budget committee.”
Ndegwa said, however, he did what was expected, to receive the budget informally and have copies run for members and originals returned to the executive.
Githioro MCA Sambigi Mukuria supported Ndegwa and accused some members of insincerity. He said MCAs should not bastardise what they created in the assembly.
There is a growing public perception that the executive, in reducing the assembly’s budget, intends to undermine its projects.