Budget chief calls for limits to counties’ spending on travel

The Controller of Budget has raised concern over the plundering of billions of shillings by county assemblies and executives through unjustified travels.

Mrs Agnes Odhiambo Thursday asked the devolved units to engage in trips - usually labelled ‘benchmarking’ - only for the benefit of the public to reduce costs.

“Money set aside for foreign trips should be reasonable and meet the set ceilings.

“The trips should be reasonable and for a good purpose. The people should reap the benefits of such trips,” she said.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Mrs Odhiambo urged county governments to establish platforms and forums that will allow public engagement in the management of county affairs.

“Constitutionally, the public has a right to be involved in determining how devolved units spend money allocated to them by the national government.

“The public should be involved and allowed to participate right from the budget formulation,” Mrs Odhiambo said.

She spoke on the sidelines of the Fourth Forum of Constitutional Commission and Independent Office Holders at Boma Inn hotel in Eldoret.

The official said the public has a right to participate in the formulation of documents such as the County Integrated Development Plans and the County Fiscal Strategy Reports.

“The leadership in each and every county should come up with a framework of engaging the public so that they can understand their role when it comes to budget-making,” she added.

COUNTY EXTRAVAGANCE
This comes as reports emerge that a number of county assemblies are resorting to domestic trips to evade questions on misuse of funds on foreign travel.

They are also disguising the trips as seminars, exchange programmes among others.

According to a recent report by the Auditor-General, the 47 county assemblies spent a whooping Sh3.71 billion on foreign and domestic travel in 2013/2014 financial year’s budget.

But Mrs Odhiambo further appealed to Kenyans to give devolved units a chance to grow saying that counties were on the right track.

She advised the National Assembly, the Senate and County Assemblies to use quarterly budget implementation review reports formulated by the constitutional body to interrogate the county executives and hold the accountable on use of public funds.

TREMENDOUS PROGRESS
According to the Controller of Budget, her office has since its inception, produced 10 quarterly budget implementation review reports highlighting critical issues on national and county budgets.

The Eldoret forum brings together more than 20 constitutional commissions including Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC), Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), Controller of Budget, Auditor-General, Attorney-General, Gender and Equality Commission, Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), Kenya Law Reform Commission, Transition Authority and Commission on Administrative Justice among others.