The Kisumu county assembly is to finally debate on the Sh10.4 billion budget in a special sitting following an outcry from leaders and the public.
In a gazette notice, the ward reps have set aside (today) Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the budget and appropriation committee report on the budget estimates and the county appropriation bill, 2019.
The debate on the budget comes nearly two months after the June 30 deadline for passing the estimates elapsed.
On Wednesday last week, temporary speaker Victor Rodgers adjourned the house sittings until September, leaving a section of the MCAs baffled.
But the MCAs learned that the budget document was not ready even after the gazettement of two days (August 13 and 14) to dispense with the matter.
Budget committee chairperson Judith Ogaga and leader of Majority Kenneth Onyango were at pains to explain to the members the circumstances that led to the delay in presenting the budget report.
Ogaga told the assembly that the report was not ready and that her team still needed more time to finalise it due to controversies arising from ward development projects.
This did not go well with a section of MCAs who pointed accusing fingers at the committee for deliberately derailing the process of passing the documents.
MCAs Prisca Misachi (Shauri Moyo) and her Nyalenda B counterpart Joseph Olale claimed that there was a scheme to sabotage the budget approval and paralyse county operations.
Olale wondered why the committee had gone for several meetings yet has not delivered any tangible result on the budget.
“Why did the assembly invite members for a special sitting if the budget report was not yet finalised,” he questioned.
Masachi, however, noted that the prolonged budget stalemate had negatively affected services in the county.
However, sources within the assembly say the MCAs are holding the budget and waiting for finance executive Nerry Achar to be removed from office after they had impeached him last week.
Speaker Onyango Oloo informed Governor Anyang’ Nyong'o of the impeachment and asked that Achar be removed from office immediately.
The budget deadline elapsed after MCAs stalled debate on grounds that the executive failed to provide the assembly with crucial documents that would aid in the process.
They included a list of pending bills and closing balances, a list of all the flagship projects for 2018-19 and conditional grants and their supporting documents.
Earlier, Governor Nyong’o dismissed claims of a rift with MCAs over the proposed budget estimates. He said the issue had been blown out of proportion.
Nyong’o said there are negotiations between the county administration and the assembly and the issues raised by the MCAs are being addressed.
(edited by O. Owino)
