• In a statement read by Philip Pande, the youth accused Achar of being incompetent.
• The youth claimed that Achar has deliberately failed to pay contractors.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
Youths in Kisumu have demanded that Governor Anyang Nyong’o sack Finance executive Nerry Achar over incompetence and mismanagement.
Under the Kisumu Youth Caucus and Youth in Business, they threatened to evict Achar if he failed to resign today.
In a statement read by Philip Pande, the youth accused Achar of being incompetent.
“It is either he steps aside, assembly to impeach him or the governor sacks him. If not we will forcibly remove him from office,” Pande said.
The youth claimed that Achar has deliberately failed to pay contractors.
Pande also said a World Bank report released in May detailed how non-payment of contractors was stifling local economies and the ever-increasing pending bills had contributed to failing businesses, auctioned premises, desolate families and Poverty.
“This situation is more real in Kisumu than any other county in Kenya,” read part of the statement.
Pande said the county’s pending bills are one of the highest at Sh2.5 billion.
In the first supplementary budget of fiscal Yyear 2018-19, the county assembly approved Sh770 million to clear part of the bill, the monies unfortunately used in paying ghost and unverified claims,” he said.
The youth said there has not been a clear way on how the money was spent.
They have further accused Achar of failure to publicly provide statutory information expected from his docket of finance and economic planning including the quarterly budget reports, finance reports, the debt management plan, budget estimates documents and the Annual Development Plan for the public to peruse.
“It is unfortunate that the county’s website which should host this crucial information remains exclusively for pictures and public relation campaigns," they said.
The youth blamed the finance boss for the decline in revenue collection.
“At the end of fiscal year 2018-19, June 30, Kisumu recorded a collection of Sh825, 562,000 as revenue from Sh1.03 billion registered in the preceding fiscal year, lower than the county’s target of Sh1.35 billion,” Pande said.
The youth questioned the role of African Collection in the Sh40 million revenue collection deal signed by the executive in April.
Pande said that Achar has never appreciated decentralisation of services, adding that he has allegedly introduced layers of bureaucracy leading to inefficiency in the county’s operations.
The youth said the executive is the sole motor vehicle insurer and fuel supplier in Kisumu.
“Procurement of goods and services above Sh2 million has become thrice longer and costlier as everything has to be designed, budgeted, approved and paid by him,” he said.
On payroll, the youth said that the county has overshot its budget of personal emoluments which stands at 41 per cent.
“The county is spending an additional 11 per cent in paying ghost workers. This money is meant for operations and maintenance. This means the county is wasting 52 per cent of its budget on salaries leading to unpaid suppliers of goods under recurrent expedient for months,” Pande said.