Governors have said that they will not appear before the Senate to answer queries over the anomalies arising from counties’ audited accounts for the fiscal year 2017-2018.
They said they have already informed the Speaker Ken Lusaka of their decision.
They said this even as they warned of a major crisis in the counties in the next two months following the inability of Parliament to resolve the dispute over the Sh9 billion shareable revenue for counties for the 2018-2019 financial year before going on recess.
The 47 counties were supposed to receive the amount to cover deficits in their budgets but the national government claimed there is no money in the coffers.
“Consequently, counties will be unable to offer services or pay contractors and suppliers as required from July 1. Counties will also be unable to pay salaries and this will lead to a shutdown of county governments,” CoG chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said.
Oparanya spoke at English Point Marina in Mombasa after a meeting of the council’s liaison and management committee.
The Kakamega governor was flanked by Makueni’s Kivutha Kibwana, Bungoma’s Wycliffe Wangamati, Muranga’s’ Mwangi wa Iria and Kisii’s James Ongwae.
Ongwae said that due to the recess by the National Assembly, the earliest monies will be available for counties will be around October or November.
“Our people in the counties will start saying we are bad yet the real problem is with the fight between the National Assembly and the Senate,” said Ongwae.
The two Houses have since the inception of devolution engaged in supremacy battles with the National Assembly claiming the title of the upper house, which the Senate feels they deserve.
This has led to some bills remaining on the shelves of the House for long, thereby denying crucial services to Kenyans.
(Edited by O. Owino)
