Assembly approves Sh4.5 billion budget

The Sh4.5 billion Vihiga County budget was approved on Tuesday amid allegations of misuse of Sh900 million meant for ward development projects last year.

Speaker Dan Chitwah told a divided Assembly that there was need to approve the budget to beat the June 30 deadline.

“As you are aware, we are behind schedule. We have to burn the midnight oil to approve the budget as the deadline is today, June 30,” said Mr Chitwah in Tuesday’s special sitting.

Some MCAs had vowed to shoot down the budget over allegations of misuse of Sh900 million meant for ward development fund in the ending financial year.

The MCAs had further said the controversy surrounding the Sh133 million allocated to the Assembly in the 2013/14 year needed to be resolved before the budget could be approved.

Nominated MCA Nathan Kamidi, the most vocal in the calls to shoot down the budget, claimed the executive had misappropriated funds in the development kitty and had not paid contractors for work done.

“Are we coming into this Assembly today to pass a deficit budget? Are we coming into this Assembly to pass a budget to pay debts?” posed Mr Kamidi, the deputy majority whip.

He added: “We called governor Moses Akaranga here and no tangible explanation was given into where the money in the development kitty went to.”

In the 2015/16 financial year, the 39-member assembly will get Sh669 million, county executive Sh242 million with the county’s health department receiving a high of Sh738.7 million as recurrent expenditure.

Mr Kamidi wondered why Sh40 million was being set aside per ward for the development kitty yet the Sh36 million allocated in the ended Financial Year had been misappropriated.

“Sh36 million per Ward for development in the ending Financial Year was not well utilized. How sure are we that the other Sh40 million for each of the 25 Wards will be put to good use?” asked Mr Kamidi.

The nominated ward representative, who was applauded by his colleagues throughout his address in the Assembly, further wondered why the budget was proposing to set aside Sh125 million for the Community Empowerment Fund yet the Sh125 million set aside last year had not been allocated to any group.

Banja Ward MCA Noah Mbwanga also elicited debate in the House when he proposed to scrap off the Sh40 million set aside for the purchase of subsidised fertiliser on grounds that the department of agriculture had not explained where the proceeds from the subsidy had gone to.

Mr Mbwanga further argued that there was no need for the kitty as the national government was also running a similar programme in the county.

“I propose that we scrap the allocation on fertiliser subsidy and distribute the Sh40 million to other humanitarian programmes such as the social housing for the poor, sanitary towels kitty and anti-rape and jigger campaign kitties,” said Mr Mbwanga.

North Maragoli MCA and immediate former majority leader Andrew Ahuga warned against scraping of the fertiliser subsidy kitty.

“If the public will learn that this assembly scraped the supply of subsidised fertiliser, it will revolt against us. Social housing project may benefit only two people in a location but fertiliser supply can benefit up to 100 people in the same area,” said Mr Ahuga.