Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime has lauded the government for suspending all non-essential travel for government officials in a move aimed at regulating public spending.
The governor, however, said that the government should not only focus on foreign travel but also look into counties’ local travel expenses as well.
“Some counties have some of their meetings in Nairobi, Mombasa and Naivasha. We don’t have an airstrip but the number of times we travel from Taita to Nairobi monthly is equivalent to a trip to Turkey, so we should also talk about local travel,” Mwadime said on Tuesday.
The Governor who was on Citizen TV, explained that most meetings including the Council of Governors happen either in Nairobi, Mombasa, or Naivasha and are a disadvantage to the counties in remote areas.
As a result, Mwadime suggested a “decentralised” system of holding government meetings spread out across various places.
"The meetings should be taken to Taita, Kisii and Kakamega instead of having them in the usual places of Nairobi and Mombasa," he noted.
The government has suspended foreign travel in five categories for government officials.
In a statement on Monday, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said the Constitution demands prudent and responsible utilisation of public money.
He said it is a principle that remains the guiding anchor of the government's current fiscal consolidation and monetary policy strategies.
The suspended categories include benchmarking and study visits, training and related capacity-building Initiatives, research, academic meetings and Symposia.
Others are conferences and meetings of general participation, side events, showcase events and exhibitions, and caucus and association meetings and events.
The Office of Controller of Budget over the years has put Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) on notice over spending billions of shillings on foreign trips at the expense of developing legislation and facilitating county activities.
In what has always been disguised as learning trips, some ward representatives appear to be in a rush to spend on foreign travel to exhaust their monies before the end of the financial year.