• The MCAs said the estimates did not conform with the County Fiscal Strategy as the law dictates.
• Speaker Ndotto had to withdraw his directive to commit the document before the assembly
Kitui MCAs on Tuesday opposed the reintroduction of the Sh11.5 billion 2019-20 budget to the assembly on the grounds that it had illegalities.
The MCAs argued that the estimates did not conform to the County Fiscal Strategy as the law dictates.
They said the document was faulty because some projects proposed by residents were missing, while others were "strange".
It was the second time the 2019-20 budget was being brought to the assembly after Governor Charity Ngilu rejected an earlier version it passed.
Ngilu said the MCAs had made changes beyond the one per cent allowed by the law.
The MCAs were on Tuesday reacting to a communication from Speaker George Ndotto that the 2019-20 budget would be brought again to the assembly for immediate scrutiny by the Budget committee.
Ndotto had said that the budget estimates had been received at the assembly from the executive on October 11. He urged the assembly to scrutinise, debate and pass the budget because time was running out.
Shortly after Ndotto's announcement, the MCAs protested forcing him to withdraw the decision.
Instead, he ordered the MCAs to meet informally this Friday and Saturday to deliberate on the content of the budget and agree on the way forward.
Nguni MCA Jefason Kiruru said the MCAs must be careful not to pass a document that did not conform to the law.
Kiruru said the budget should undergo a negotiated session between the assembly and executive and should contain project capture in the Fiscal Strategy Paper.
He said sneaking the budget into the assembly in its current form would cause undue acrimony.
Mumoni MCA Johnson Kanandu said he was not ready to be taken through a budget that violates the law.
“I was elected by the people of Mumoni to represent them and not to be driven like a robot,” he said.
Kanandu said the budget was faulty as projects proposed by the people and put in the County Fiscal Strategy Paper were missing. He said it was time the assembly stood up to fight for the rule of law.
Migwani MCA Philip Nguli said MCAs could not deliberate on a contentious budget that had serious discrepancies. “It contains projects that are strange,” he added.
Other MCAs who spoke against the reintroduction of the budget estimates included Anastatcia Mwathi (Mutitu) and Alex Musili (Nuu).
They pleaded with the speaker to use his powers and guide the house against passing a flawed budget.