Wajir Senator Abdullahi Ali has warned against a threat by the Controller of Budget to withhold county funds, saying it will be detrimental to residents.
“That will be very unfair to the people of Wajir especially when there is severe drought in the county,” Ali said.
The senator spoke on Tuesday after CoB Margaret Nyakang’o threatened to withhold funds to the devolved unit, owing to persistent leadership wrangles.
The county is in a leadership crisis after two governors claimed authority.
Mohamed Abdi, who was impeached as governor last year, was last week reinstated by the High Court. He has said he is the legally recognised governor.
His deputy, who was sworn in soon after his impeachment, is also still in office.
Nyakang’o said the leadership wrangles have brought confusion on whether the current finance executive and chief officer are legally in office.
The two officials were appointed by Governor Ahmed Muktar as signatories to the county accounts.
Abdi had written to the CoB asking her to stall any release of funds to the devolved unit until a handover is done.
But the senator said the country’s audit boss should not rush to act on Abdi’s letter to stop the funds.
He said the ultimate loser for such a move will be the ordinary residents.
Ali said residents are already suffering from severe drought, famine and diseases that require emergency action.
“I think the CoB will not be right to stop funding to Wajir as at now,” he said as he pleaded with Nyakang’o.
While reinstating Abdi, the court ruled that he could not occupy the office before March 10, ostensibly to allow the current governor to prepare his handover reports.
The senator raised concerns that residents are likely to suffer until the August 9 elections, if the court does not intervene.
“The courts have played their part. Unfortunately, it is only in Wajir where we have two sitting governors at any one time,” he said.
Ali said it is obvious there is a leadership crisis in Wajir.
“I am sure that former deputy governor who is currently still the governor will not just sit back and watch the office being taken away. I am sure he will appeal but that is not my responsibility,” he added.
On Monday, Nyakang’o said she has convened a crisis meeting with the county assembly speaker Ibrahim Yakub to establish the legal occupiers of the office of finance executive and chief officer.
“We will act depending on their speed of putting their accounting officer in order. We will agree with the speaker on the timelines,” she said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
