- IBEC also directed the counties to prioritise payments of pending bills.
- Last week, Wambora and Lenolkulal met the DP at his residence with Samburu county boss captured in photos on Ruto’s timeline wearing UDA cap.
Image: WILLIAM RUTO/TWITTER
Cabinet secretaries and governors yesterday snubbed a meeting convened by Deputy President William Ruto to discuss devolution.
The DP chaired the powerful Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council, where they discussed key issues affecting devolved units.
When he appeared to address a press conference at his Karen residence after the closed-door meeting, Ruto was flanked by three governors allied to his political wing.
They are Council of Governors chairman Martin Wambora (Embu), Josphat Nanok (Turkana) and Moses Lenolkulal (Samburu).
Last week, Wambora and Lenolkulal met the DP at his residence with the Samburu county boss captured in photos on Ruto’s timeline wearing UDA cap.
Nanok is the Ruto’s presidential campaign manager.
Not a single CS attended the meeting despite the team discussing key matters around funds to counties and general matters touching on devolution.
Ruto said the team, which included Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o, received several reports from various players in the devolution arena.
“We received a report from the Auditor General on the audit of pending bills. The audit determined that Sh45.5 billion is payable out of Sh153 billion that was reported,” the DP said.
The meeting, he disclosed, directed the Treasury to work with the office of the Attorney General to determine the fate of the ineligible pending bills amounting to Sh107 billion.
IBEC also directed the counties to prioritise payments of pending bills.
The meeting also ordered the intergovernmental relations technical committee to conclude the ongoing valuation of county assets and liabilities at least a month to the general election.
The meeting happened just hours after governors called for an emergency intervention to avert a looming humanitarian crisis occasioned by the drought and famine in various parts of the country.
This, even as they lamented of a cash crisis in counties that has stalled key operations, including efforts to alleviate the pain of the millions facing starvation.
Through their umbrella body, the Council of Governors, the county chiefs said more than 360,000 people are in the ‘emergency’ phase of starvation and more than 800,000 are facing malnutrition.
“The drought situation in the country continues to be a challenge especially in the arid and semi-arid counties. Currently, more than 3.1 million people are food insecure in 24 counties,” CoG vice chairman James Ongwae said.
Addressing a press conference at CoG headquarters at Delta House in Nairobi on Tuesday, the governors said many Kenyans risk losing their lives if the government does not move fast.
“In this regard, we call upon the concerned ministry to expedite support to the affected counties so that the suffering is alleviated," Ongwae said.
Ongwae, flanked by his colleagues, said the crisis has been aggravated by an acute cash crisis that has hit the devolved units due to delays by the Treasury to release funds.
He disclosed that the Treasury has so far released Sh221.6 billion out of Sh370 billion allocated to the counties in equitable share in the current financial year with barely two months to the end of the financial year.
“The total outstanding balance for the FY 2021-22 amounts to Sh148.39 billion. The outstanding amount owed to counties as per the disbursement schedule stand at Sh87.34 billion,” he said.
On Monday, the Controller of Budget blamed the low absorption of the funds by some counties for the delayed releases.
But the governors denied the claims, saying the devolved units are being starved of funds.
They recommended the establishment of a framework to enable the Treasury to secure special a overdraft from the Central Bank for onward disbursement to the counties.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)