A Kitui county assembly committee has recommended the slashing of Sh502 million from the Trade, Cooperative and ICT department’s proposed Sh550.9 million budget for 2020-21.
If the proposal is adopted by the Budget and Appropriation committee, the department will have to make do with a paltry Sh49 million for the entire year.
The reallocation was decided by the Trade and ICT committee chaired by Kiomo/Kyethani MCA Musyoka Muthui.
It was not immediately clear why the committee took the drastic action after scrutinising the department’s budget as presented to the assembly by the county treasury.
Muthui did not pick his phone when the Star called. Vice chair Ann Mumo declined to discuss the matter.
The Trade department is headed by Philip Mumo who was last year impeached by the assembly for allegedly presenting a fake degree certificate to get the job. But despite being impeached Governor Charity Ngilu kept him.
A confidential source at the assembly said MCAs were not amused by Ngilu’s failure to sack Mumo and resorted to starving his department of funds. With only Sh49 million for the next financial year, the department will only be able to pay salaries.
In its report seen by the Star, Musyoka’s committee recommends that the assembly Budget committee implements its recommendations removing the Sh502 million. The money should be shared among the other departments.
It vetoed the entire Sh110 million set aside for the County Empowerment Fund. The same fate befell the Sh65 million allocation for purchase of livestock trucks, as well as Sh55 million for the civil works at the Kicotec branches in Mwingi and Mutomo towns.
Some Sh12 million and another Sh13 million for advertising and training was done away with as was Sh5 million allocation for appraisal and feasibility studies.
Edited by Henry Makori
