County tea budgets eat into vital projects

North Rift counties allocated extravagant budgets to hospitality for members of the county assemblies (MCAs) and the Executive at the expense of development projects.

The budget on tea, mandazi, samosa and hot lunches by some counties could fund the Free Education Programme and send more children to school or improve access to quality health care.

Trans Nzoia County’s allocation of Sh103.7 million for tea and biscuits is enough to pay school fees for a term at Sh12,000 for 8,583 students.

It is also enough to purchase one MRI machine, 34 dialysis machines and 6,866,667 anti-malaria medicines.

Nandi County’s Sh7.3 million budget for tea and biscuits is sufficient to pay fees for 583 students.

It can also buy two dialysis machines and 466,667 anti-malarial drugs.

The situation is no different in West Pokot County, where hospitality was allocated Sh66 million — enough to pay fees for 5,500 students.

It can also purchase 22 dialysis machines and 4.4 million anti-malaria medicines.

Turkana County’s allocation for hospitality stood at Sh24.5 million, which can pay fees for 2,000 students or buy eight dialysis machines and 1.6 million anti-malaria medicines.

The situation is similar in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, which set aside Sh11.5 million for hospitality.

The money can cater for term fees for 917 students or buy four dialysis and 733,333 anti-malaria medicines.

Most counties in the region, however, recorded low expenditure on development in the first quarter of the past financial year.

Among the counties with the lowest expenditure on development are Elgeyo-Marakwet and Uasin Gishu, which had less than one per cent of its approved development budget utilised, according to the 2015-2016 Budget Implementation Review report by the Office of the Controller of Budget.

The Controller of Budget, Mrs Agnes Odhiambo, indicates that whereas Elgeyo-Marakwet did not budget for an unutilised Sh292.59 million in 2014/2015, its development expenditure was 3.5 per cent of the Sh3.67 billion for 2015/2016.

Then, it allocated Sh1.15 billion to development, while this fiscal year it is Sh2.52 billion.

Elgeyo-Marakwet spent more on domestic and foreign trips than the previous year.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The Executive spent Sh6.87 million and the County Assembly Sh21.23 million.

Sitting allowances for MCAs was Sh9.7 million more than in 2014/2015, with Sh10.42 million spent in the first quarter against a Sh41.50 million annual budget.

Health took up most of Nandi’s development expenditure in the first quarter of 2015-2016, with Sh116.12 million out of the Sh127.9 million going into purchase of medicines and supplies for health facilities in the 30 wards.

A further Sh13.55 million went to new medical and dental equipment.

The county, however, spent more on domestic and foreign travel — Sh65.80 million as compared to Sh30.63 million in 2014/2015.

It paid the Executive Sh39.20 million and the county assembly Sh26.60, while sitting allowances for the 49 MCAs rose by Sh9.59 million from the past year.

West Pokot prioritised construction of residential buildings and other infrastructure in the first quarter of the 2015/2016 development expenditure.

It spent Sh99.56 million out of Sh213.51 million on completion of doctors’ flats and an ICU and casualty wing at Kapenguria County Referral Hospital.

Another Sh57.07 million was spent on the completion of Treasury offices and construction of Lands offices and market stalls, among other projects.

The county allocated Sh820,000 for refurbishment of non-residential buildings, but spent Sh42.60 million on domestic and foreign travel, up from Sh28.12 million the previous year, with the Executive spending Sh40.01 million and MCAs Sh2.59 million.