Counties to Get Sh155b from Treasury
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www.peopledaily.co.ke // www.epaper.peopledaily.co.ke 12 .HQ\D·V )5((1HZVSDSHU People Daily NO.06878 Wednesday, August 14, 2019 Deal: Shot NEWS BEAT PG4 in the arm for governors as Punjani Yattani agrees Counties to to send half spouse, of allocated funds subject Sushmi, to legal aged 24, advisory by get Sh155b AG >> page 2 nabbed in fresh raid at from Treasury Nyali NEWS BEAT Wednesday, August 14, 2019 / PEOPLE DAILY News World Business Sport Kisumu Monsoon EACC calls St Anthony’s Assembly floods kill for probe hockey team impeaches more than into Telkom, seek perfect Finance 200 people Airtel merger seven in POINTERS P15Executive P16in India P17 agreement P28 Arusha 7DONVVDYH GHYROYHG XQLWVIURP 5HOLHIDV7UHDVXU\ SDUDO\VLV E\3'7HDP UHVROYHVWRUHOHDVH #3HRSOH'DLO\.H Workers of most counties yes- terday did not make good their threat to go on strike to protest de- 6KEWRFRXQWLHV layed salaries, after county leader- ship pleaded for patience. Last week, employees of the 47 But the disbursement will be Mwangi, said the AG would issue a counties, through trade unions, document on the way forward as threatened to down tools if they subject to Attorney General’s early as today. did not get their July salaries by “The AG is ready to offer the ad- yesterday. Governors have blamed advisory even as governors visory as sought by the Treasury, the delay on failure by the Nation- insist on Sh157 billion we can do so as early as tomorrow al government to release funds. (today),” she told the committee. But a spot check by People Dai- In his presentation, Yattani told ly revealed that only workers in E\(ULF:DLQDLQDDQG the committee that Treasury was Kisumu, Taita Taveta, Embu and $QWKRQ\0ZDQJL ready to withdraw from the Con- Murang’a counties boycotted #3HRSOH'DLO\.H solidated Fund an amount not work while in others, the leader- exceeding 50 per cent of allocated Counties are set to receive half ship talked staff out of the strike. funds to the counties. of the allocated funds from the In Kisumu, the striking workers He challenged senators to come National government after Trea- assembled at the Prosperity Build- up with legislation that could ad- Acting Treasury Cabinet secretary sury agreed to release the money ing, which houses several county dress a situation where MPs and REVENUE DISPUTE Ukur Yattani when he met the subject to an advisory from the At- offices. The easi- senators disagree. Finance committee of the Senate torney General. Yattani said he was ready to re- Kenya County Government “Counties need to be allocated yesterday. 1)050,&//"$-"6%& est chan- The announcement followed a lease 50 per cent of Sh310 billion, Workers Union Kisumu branch funds even with the existence of meeting called by the Senate Fi- which amounts to Sh155 billion for secretary Rashid Ondu said the nel where disputes. We need to get away nance Committee and attended counties. workers would not resume duty from such a crisis where counties leads to increased consumption. money by senators, Council of Governors are likely to collapse due to lack of until they were paid. But governors insist on 50 per cent Analysis of most of the 2019- is looted and acting Treasury Cabinet Sec- funding,” he said. of Sh314 billion, being the alloca- 2020 county budgets shows that 3DUDO\VHG retary Ukur Yattani to unlock the He said such arrangement has tion as per last yearʼs Division of governors will spend nearly all of funds impasse which saw county succeeded in other jurisdictions “We will withdraw our services in coun- Revenue Allocations. what they will receive from the employees threaten to go on strike like South Africa where they dis- as long as the county government Treasury on recurrent expenditure. ties is over delayed salaries. burse 45 per cent of the allocations. delays in paying us,” said Ondu. Critics say the recurrent expen- During the meeting, Yattani said The CoG represented by Laikipia People Daily has established that In Taita Taveta, health services through diture is used to milk county trea- he was ready to release 50 per cent Deputy governor John Mwaniki, some governors have already com- were paralysed when health work- suries through suspect allowances, of Sh310 billion, which amounts opposed the Treasury proposal, mitted their entire equitable share ers downed tools and spent the recurrent unnecessary trips, workshops and to Sh155 billion for counties to maintaining that only fair alloca- on recurrent expenditure, which day barricading Governor Grant- “hiring” of ghost workers, a fact ex- expen- address pressing needs, includ- tion of cash awaiting the deter- mostly benefits county executive on Samboja’s office. posed by the Auditor General and ing paying salaries and other es- mination of the suit filed in the employees and MCAs, in terms Operations were also grounded diture, Controller of Budget reports. sentials. Supreme Court will be 50 per cent of salaries and allowances. Most in Embu county with more than However, the committee, sena- of Sh314 billion representing the county chiefs have given only a 3,000 workers staging demon- mostly on 7DUJHWHGUHYHQXH tors and the CoG differed with the DORA of the last audited accounts small fraction of the amount to the strations outside Governor Martin For instance, in Nairobi County trips and Acting CS, insisting the disburse- as law requires. development kitty. Wambora’s office in Embu town. which has been allocated Sh16.5 ment should be 50 per cent of This means that regional gov- In Murang’a, most county gov- work- billion equitable share, the high- Sh314 billion, being the allocation 8QORFNVWDOHPDWH ernments must up their game in ernment offices were deserted. est among all counties, Governor shops as per last year’s Division of Rev- “We will be committing another revenue collection in order to fund In Laikipia, Nyeri ad Kirinyaga Mike Sonko will spend Sh24.3 enue Allocations (DORA). illegality by allowing Treasury to development projects. This has, counties, workers ended the boy- billion on recurrent expenditure, —Wa- “The law, as stated in the Public allocate funds using the Sh310 bil- however, not been the case in most cott after officials assured them which is Sh7.8 billion more than Finance Management Act, allows lion arrangement,” said Mwaniki, counties because of wastage, failed that the process of paying their matangi what it will get from Treasury. the National Treasury to allocate adding that the situation at the systems or theft, denying counties salaries had started. With a budget of Sh35.2 billion, 50 per cent of the last financial counties was so dire that every opportunity to access more cash The situation was the same the City has allocated Sh10.9 bil- year’s DORA which in this case function had stalled. under the fiscal responsibility pa- in Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi and lion to development, which will was Sh314 billion,” said Makueni The Controller of Budget, ac- rameter. Uasin Gishu counties, where staff come from the surplus of a tar- Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr. cording to a representative, is not Kiambu senator Kimani Wa- resumed work after the govern- geted revenue source and Sh797 Yattani, however, told the com- opposed to the proposals by the matangi, a member of the Public ments assured their workers that million grant. mittee that Treasury could not Treasury. Accounts Committee (PAC), and their salaries would be cleared by Kiambu County has been allo- release funds without a legal ad- According to Senate Deputy who has been pushing for an in- next week. cated Sh9.2 billion, but Governor visory and asked the AG to advise Speaker Kithure Kindiki, a meeting crease on the equitable share, lays Ferdinand Waititu’s administra- on the implications of disbursing to be held on Thursday must pro- the blame squarely on governors. tion is set to spend Sh10.1 billion allocated funds. vide the necessary resolutions to “The easiest channel where on recurrent expenditure, which is WEATHERTODAY “We need the AG to advise on protect any officer or public office money is looted in counties is Sh900 million above the equitable s.AIROBI 24° this otherwise we will end in courts that may be required to use admin- through recurrent expenditure, share. and will not help the current situa- istrative measures to unlock the mostly on trips and workshops,” This means the recurrent expen- s-OMBASA 28° tion, “he said. funds stalemate and ensure coun- said Wamatangi. diture, which plans to locally raise s+ISUMU 30° Asked by committee chairman ties start receiving money before Analysis of separate county bud- Sh2.967 million to supplement its Mohammed Mohamud how soon end of the month. gets reveals that governors have ambitious Sh15.6 billion budget, s.YERI 21° the advisory might come through, Even as the senators and gov- been increasing expenditure an- rose by about Sh300 million from s7AJIR 32° an official in the AG’s office, Jinette ernors pushed for disbursement, nually, raising questions on what Sh9.59b last year. 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