Governors scoff at Treasury’s expenditure claim

The Council of Governors on Tuesday scoffed at the National Treasury’s claim that counties were unable to spend Sh33 billion lying idle in their accounts.

Instead, the council’s chairman, Meru Governor Peter Munya, accused the Treasury of creating obstacles for them so as to portray counties as failed units.

“This is the usual story that the Treasury keeps giving,” said Mr Munya on the sidelines of a dinner on Monday evening in Nairobi. “They create many roadblocks that prevent you from spending the money and, when the year is over, they pin it on you so that they can get the usual excuses to say that counties are not absorbing money.”

Mr Munya accused the National Treasury of frustrating county governments’ development agenda by deliberately releasing money in tranches towards the end of the month in a plot to deny the devolved units the resources for their programmes.

“We have challenges accessing the money for half of the year and it does not help if somebody accuses you of not spending money towards the middle of the year,” said the CoG boss. “Spending starts at the beginning of the year and it builds up toward the end of the year.

“If nothing is done till the middle of the year, why should somebody accuse you of not spending the money?”

Taita-Taveta Governor and CoG Vice-Chairman John Mruttu also took issue with the National Treasury’s claim, saying the numbers being circulated should be looked at carefully as they only represent a month’s transfer to the county governments.

SH300 BILLION

“County governments’ allocations come to around Sh300 billion, which comes to Sh25 billion a month,” said Mr Mruttu. “So, the issue here is only one month’s transfer.”

The governors also blamed their woes on the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis), saying it had caused more challenges than solutions. They pointed fingers at the Treasury for “failing to make sure that the system functions optimally”.

Said Mr Munya: “Remember that for most of the year Ifmis has not been operational.It collapsed and we have been talking about it when Treasury is supposed to make it work. Even when it is back, it does not work optimally”.

Meanwhile, the governors termed a proposed Bill by Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi as callous, draconian and unconstitutional.

The Assumption of the Office of Governor Bill 2016, in its second reading in the Senate, requires county chiefs to declare their counties’ assets with documentation done within 90 days before an election to prevent the use of county resources for campaigns.

“The fact that we are approaching the General Election should not mean that county governments should cease existing,” said Mr Munya. “They should continue providing services to citizens.”

According to Kitui Governor Julius Malombe, the Bill was drafted in bad faith and, should the President assent to it, then they will seek recourse in the courts.

“To suggest that governors can disappear with money is to take Kenyans for a ride,” said Dr Malombe. “The mindset is to demonise county governments and their leadership in the eyes of Kenyans, to project them as if they cannot manage money before, during or after elections.”