Key Kitui county operations will soon be brought to a halt after the assembly rejected the
supplementary budget tabled in December last year.
The sectors include the Health department, which has indefinitely halted registration for the Kitui County Health Insurance Cover (K-CHIC). All clerks were sent home without paying their salaries accrued since October
In December 28 circular, the ministry informed clerks at all level five hospitals that their four-month contracts, due to expire on December 31, would not be renewed as expected.
Most assembly members belong to the Wiper party, while Governor Charity Ngilu belongs to Narc.
The directive also told workers to submit all registration materials to the K-CHIC supervisor by January 4.
A number of clerks told the Star that a senior health official told them the county no longer had funds to pay them for the registration. That’s because the assembly killed the supplementary budget.
Ulterior motives
This flies in the face of Ngilu’s assurance during the launch of K-CHIC on August 21 when she said the county had set aside Sh2.93 billion in the main budget for
the programme.
A vote of no-confidence against Treasury executive Mary Nguli was passed by the Assembly late last year.
She sought court orders stopping the assembly from impeaching her.
Nguli said members of the assembly moved to irregularly and unprocedurally impeach her in blatant abuse of the Constitution.
The impeachment was executed a few days after Wiper MCAs shot down the supplementary budget.
“Nguli failed to pay pending bills in time and promoted incompetence in the management of county affairs and her tenure has been characterised by failure to pay workers,” Tseikuru MCA Boniface Kasina Kilaa said.
Majority leader and Athi Ward MCA Peter Kilonzo and Chief Whip Stephen Kivunzi (Kyuso MCA) said the impeachment had no
ulterior motives.
