Bungoma Speaker rejects county budget, says was tabled 40 days late

 

Bungoma Assembly Speaker Emmanuel Situma has rejected the county’s budget on grounds that it was filed 40 days late, throwing the troubled devolved unit in an even bigger mess.

Mr Situma said the budget also failed to follow the County Fiscal Paper—the document that lays out budgeting priorities for the county—while tabling the document.

"My team assessed the budget that had come late just like happened again last year and have decided to send it back to the Executive to explain the reasons it came so late," Mr Situma told Nation.Africa.

The Speaker said the Public Finance Management Act requires the County Treasury to table the budget before or on April 30 every financial year, but that Mr Wangamati’s government tabled it on June 11.

The move comes amid an ongoing tiff between Mr Wangamati and the Assembly over the governor’s delay in approving a budget for the House, leading to delayed salaries for staff who have vowed to go on strike next week.

The Assembly, which has a majority of MCA's from Ford Kenya, has been divided following the emergence of two camps - those loyal to party leader and Bungoma senator Moses Wetang’ula and those linked to the governor and Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.

Mr Wamunyinyi has challenged Mr Wetang’ula’s reign as party leader in a case is still in court.

The tiff between Mr Wangamati and MCAs is currently being examined by the Senate Finance committee which has had several meetings with both parties and promised to release a report soon.

In a press statement yesterday, Mr Wangamati said the budget was sent to the Assembly as was after the Controller of Budget approved varying of different vote-heads in what the county says will allow payment of salaries for staff for the months of May and June.

"By necessity, the Controller of Budget sanctions to pay come in the wake of a failure by the County Assembly of Bungoma to approve a Supplementary Budget through which the Executive had sought clearance to vary budgets and address specific salary deficits in a number of departments in the County. The same appropriation shall be regularized in the 2021-2022 County budget," the county chief said in a statement.

Mr Wangamati’s government said that following the approval, staff members will start receiving salaries in their accounts from the afternoon of Wednesday, July 7 to Friday, July 9, 2021. 

"From the outset, I wish to apologize to our staff for the inconvenience occasioned by the late payment of salaries. I also wish to thank you for your patience and commitment to serve through this difficult period," Mr Wangamati noted in the statement.

He went ahead: "As a government, we hold you in high regard with a knowledge and understanding that our vision to serve the great people of Bungoma singularly hinges on your valuable input.”

Leaders allied to the governor had on Monday donated toilet paper and other Covid-19 assortment to the assembly in what is seen as mocking Speaker Situma’s comments in the Senate hearing that the assembly could no longer afford basic communities with toiletries.

Currently, the regional House has been closed in what the clerk said was due to the Covid-19 regulations, but in which the Wangamati-led government sees as a ploy to delay the passing and approval of the budget.

Meanwhile, the Controller of Budget last week asked Wangamati to explain use of Sh391 million that had been released by Treasury and meant for county salaries pay.

Bungoma county leaders led by senator Wetang’ula and leader of majority at the assembly Juma Nyongesa have asked Mr Wangamati to explain what they say is diversion of money meant for staff to pay suppliers and contractors close to him.

Pundits say that the assembly wrangles are just a show of political mighty play ahead of 2022 polls.

The workers who have gone without salary have since protested while some have downed tools.    BY DAILY NATION