Elgeyo Marakwet leaders have failed to meet and agree on how to resolve the Sh3.7 billion budget crisis.
Efforts to convene the first meeting on Thursday between the leaders failed to succeed because most of them were not available.
Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has offered to mediate the differences between Governor Alex Tolgos and the MCAs over the budget row.
Trouble started after MCAs declined demands by the governor to cut the Sh566 million allocation to the assembly in the 2019-20 budget.
Tolgos wanted the money reduced to help finance a Sh200 million deficit in money required for operations of the county government.
“The county government has always reduced its allocations to help finance key issues affecting our people and it's only sensible that the assembly also does so, because we all serve residents of Elgeyo Marakwet,” Tolgos said on Thursday.
Two weeks ago, Tolgos declared a budget crisis in the region and invited the Senate, Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) and the Controller of Budget to help resolve the matter.
However, the issue became complicated after Tolgos accused Murkomen of plotting to impeach him through the assembly.
Murkomen on Friday, however, denied the claims of impeachment and instead offered to mediate in the row between the governor and the assembly.
“My office is ready and willing to mediate between the two arms of the county government. I wish to advise Tolgos to give dialogue a chance instead of authoring his own problems, as he has been doing for nearly seven years," Murkomen said.
He said though the county faces serious challenges "as a result of gross incompetence and maladministration", he does not believe impeaching the governor would solve the problems.
“I wish to remind Tolgos that impeachment is an accountability process spelt out in the Constitution. Although the Senate is involved in any impeachment process that comes before it, the senator does not participate in it as an individual,” Murkomen said in a statement.
Yesterday, Murkomen said he was still willing to mediate and resolve the row that is affecting services for residents in the county.
“We need to meet as leaders and agree on the issues in our county instead of focusing on sideshows that do not help. I still urge the governor to embrace dialogue with MCAs,” Murkomen said.
The county is allocated Sh3.7 billion annually but Tolgos says the money is inadequate to finance the county operations. He says the county requires an additional Sh1.5 billion to be able to operate effectively.
Murkomen and the assembly have, however, accused the governor and his executives of over-employing staff, including their relatives.
He said it is inexplicable that Elgeyo Marakwet is one of the counties with the smallest population, yet it ranks among the top spenders on wages.
“The governor should accept an independent audit of the county payroll to weed out ghost workers and save resources," the senator said.
Murkomen also said the Auditor General said the governor hired "cowboy contractors" who did shoddy work.
“As a result, there are many white elephant projects with excessively poor workmanship.”
He said Tolgos has not attracted investors for seven years nor attempted to grow local revenue.
"Instead of being a champion of prosperity in our county, Tolgos at this rate risks being remembered as a father of poverty,” Murkomen said.
