•Angry residents wonder why most projects are in Alego Usonga and Bondo sub-counties
•They craft a memorandum for consideration by the county assembly’s Budget committee
Image: LAMECK BARAZA
Residents of Siaya county have rejected the proposed 2019-20 budget for lack of inclusivity.
Angry residents wondered why most projects were concentrated in Alego Usonga and Bondo subcounties.
They disrupted a public meeting called to discuss the estimates.
The meeting convened by the Budget committee in West Asembo ward, Rarieda subcounty, degenerated into chaos as members expressed their disappointment.
Budget committee members had a difficult time controlling the irate residents who had attended the forum at Mahaya chief’s camp on Wednesday.
The angry residents ordered the committee to leave the venue of the meeting, terming the exercise a waste of time.
While some frustrated residents complained that their interests were not factored in the budget, others asked why money for development was slashed from Sh30 million to Sh10 million.
Moses Apudo, a resident of West Asembo, said all stalled projects must be completed before new ones are proposed.
“There is no way new projects could be proposed in our ward yet none of those we prioritized in the last financial year have been implemented,” he said.
Their concerns were echoed by their MCA Ambrose Akuno who vowed to reject the proposed budget in the assembly.
They, however, calmed down after more than 30 minutes of interruption and came up with a memorandum which they issued to the county assembly’s Budget committee for consideration.
The disruption was condemned by members of the budget committee Lorna Adida (North Sakwa) and Samuel Olasi (West Uyoma).
“Instead of interrupting the whole exercise, the residents could have found a better way of airing their grievances,” Olasi said.
The Budget committee members admitted they had also identified some inequalities and gaps in the document.
Adida said, “Such issues can only be addressed if members of the public took their time to scrutinize it and give proposals without interruptions.”
In West Yimbo ward, Bondo subcounty, residents registered their displeasure over the proposed Sh6.7 billion budget, saying it was not clear about projects for the ward.
Speaking in Usenge town during a pre-budget forum organised by Community Initiative Action Group Kenya, a nongovernmental organisation, residents proposed an increment of the ward allocation for development projects.
They said a number of projects initiated in the financial year 2013-14 have not been completed.