Attempts by Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga to scrap ward funds to finance his flagship legacy projects have been shot down. The assemby rejected his supplementary budget on Tuesday.
It eliminated the local project funds and called for big county projects. Visibly agitated MCAs accused Rasanga of being insensitive to the plight of residents.
They said that whereas the country was reducing spending on on travelling, accommodation and subsistence allowances, his government was reallocating money from drugs in public hospitals and funding his “globe-trotting expenses”.
They say the trips have yielded nothing for the county. Almost all the MCAs who contributed on the floor of the House opposed the executive, whom they accused of removing ward development funds.
They warned that he risks impeachment, if he does not improveon public resources management. A report by the Joint Committee of Budget and Appropriations and of Justice and Legal Affairs was tasked to review the proposed 2018-19 supplementary budget.
The members said the executive violated various laws, including the Public Finance Management and the County Allocation of Revenue acts.
Tabling the report, joint committee chairman Sylvester Madialo said the executive had drastically reduced funds for purchase of drugs and non-pharmaceuticals and money set aside to pay wages to market cleaners.
He further said each of the 30 wards were set to lose Sh30 million in the ward development fund, as the executive increased spending on some “non-essential” items by as much as 6,800 per cent.
“I cannot support a budget that kills its own people. Every one knows the pathetic situation of our hospitals, and I cannot imagine reducing money meant to buy drugs to fund non-essential activities,” chairperson of the Health committee Judith Patel said. Seconding the report, committeeco-chairperson Francis Otiato said the supplementary budget had totally eliminated development projects worth over Sh1 billion.
“The projects were identified, subjected to public participation, approved and funds appropriated by the assembly for implementation,” the Yimbo East MCA said. Otiato said according to the law, supplementary requests are to be made by accounting officers but in this case, there were no indications that was the case.
He said that any development in Siaya was as a result of the ward development fund and the executive has, over the years, failed to initiate projects with the money it retains for development.
“The governor has a lot of money for development. We cannot stop other activities in the name of legacy projects,” he said.
Central Alego MCA Leonard Oriaro accused the governor of using Siaya MPs to coerce MCAs to pass the budget. He said as elected leaders, they could not support a budget that will yield nothing for their electorate.
He challenged Rasanga to emulate his neighbouring Kakamega counterpart, who has, since the advent of devolution, achieved tremendous development in all sectors.
Speaker George Okode ordered a joint committee to investigate the discrepancies in the approved estimates and the document tabled and report back to the house within seven days Oriaro cited changes made to the approved ward development fund estimates after the house passed the budget.
Instead of 30 million, the document forwarded to the controller of budget indicated less amounts. The MCAs said that the status of local hospitals was pathetic with no drugs and a serous staff shortage.
The said the county has yet t account for Sh35 million bursary funds.