Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u has today snubbed a meeting convened to deliberate on the delayed release of ex-councillors retirement package further deepening the woes faced by the group.
His Labor counterpart Florence Bore who was also expected to attend the meeting was a no-show with the committee saying it had received an apology and that she will be available in the next two weeks.
The Senate standing committee on Labor and social welfare chaired by Senator Julius Murgor had summoned the two to appear concerning the Sh2.6 billion one-off honorarium.
Ndung’u was said to be attending another meeting.
This has now thrown the over 12,000 former civil leaders who have been fighting to have the money released for several years into a spin.
Speaking during the session, Nandi senator Samson Cherargei urged the committee chair to schedule another session terming the matter grave.
“Chairperson, please tell CS Njuguna and Bore that we only need less than an hour of their time… We just wanted to ask the CS where the money is,” said Cherargei.
“If he (Njuguna) can say he is paying next week and Bore explains to us what she is doing about the social protection of these former leaders then the meeting ends, we don’t have to deliberate more.”
Cherargei said the issue was emotive and the former councillors who are the genesis of devolution and ought to be rewarded.
“We know there have been challenges with resources but we assure you of our support on this,” he said.
The meeting was a result of a petition by Senator Enoch Wambu who argued the matter had taken too long for it to be concluded.
A section of representatives led by National Councilors’ Forum chairperson Geoffrey Gitau and national organizing secretary Amos Githonga attended the meeting.
Former CS Ukur Yatani had in 2021 said the government would pay the members a one-off package in the last financial year citing hard economic times brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
They had earlier pushed for the payment of Sh22 billion through a petition back in 2016.
Yatani had announced that Sh200,000 would be paid for those who served two terms and a maximum of Sh600,000 for those who served four terms.
This means that some 328 will receive Sh664,820 while 11,919 will share Sh2,383,800.
They served from 1963 to 2013.
Speaking separately, Gitau said while most of its members are no longer alive, their next of kin ought to be paid the shares.
The last lot that served until 2013 used to earn Sh25, 000 monthly while those in the 1980s pocketed Sh3,600.
