- Each of the 47 counties has been contributing Sh5 million annually to run the operations of the council.
- The cash caters for payment of rent and salaries at its headquarters in Delta House, Nairobi.
Image: FILE
The Senate oversight committee has ordered governors and assembly speakers to stop funding the Council of Governors and County Assemblies’ Forum.
The committee said funding the entities is a violation of the law and misuse of public money.
“It is a directive of this committee that counties stop funding the council of governors and county assembly with immediate effect,” CPAIC chairman Ochillo Ayacko (Migori) ruled.
Ayako said the entities should be funded directly by the National Treasury like any other state body as they are a creation of the law.
CPAIC oversights the county government’s (executives and assemblies) use of public money disbursed by the Treasury or own source revenue collected by the devolved units.
The directive could be detrimental to the CoG and CAF, which have been relying on the funds from the county governments.
Each of the 47 counties has been contributing Sh5 million annually to run the operations of the council.
The cash caters for payment of rent and salaries at its headquarters in Delta House, Nairobi.
The CoG is a creation of section 19 of the Intergovernmental Relations, 2012
“There is established a Council of County Governors, which shall consist of governors of the 47 counties,” the Act reads.
The CoG provides a forum for consultation amongs county governments, facilitates capacity building for governors and provides a platform for sharing of information on the performance of the counties.
“The council shall have powers to establish other intergovernmental forums including inter-city and municipality forums. The council may establish sectoral working groups or committees for the better carrying out of its functions,” the law states.
Embu Governor Martin Wambora is the chairman of the council. He took over from Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
Section 37 of the Act provides that the operational expenses in respect of the structures and institutions established under the Act shall be provided for in the annual estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the national government.
However, the county governments have been contributing to the council since its creation. Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has been flagging the payment as irregular, as it violates the law.
The governors have been arguing that the CoG has not been receiving funding from the National Treasury as stipulated in law.
But the committee threatened to hold every governor accountable for the illegal contributions if the payments are not stopped.
CAF, on the other hand, was created in 2013 as the coordinating body of the 47 county assemblies. It is registered as a society under the Societies Act.
“CAF is mandated to support county assemblies in performing their three core functions; law making, oversight and representation,” CAF states on its website.
Nyandarua speaker Ndegwa Wahome is the CAF chairman.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)