Giving MCAs more money to burn makes no sense, except to the Senate
What you need to know:
- But Governor Munya, whom I have a soft spot for because he is my agemate, came in peace to put across an argument that he felt that the media had not got straight. And listening to his strong argument — and like any good lawyer when he lines up his arguments he leaves no room for yours — you can see why he thought he should make the media rounds.
- Those among us who are honest will be the first to admit that devolution is working wonders for the confidence and development of our country, but it will all come to none, to quote Idi Amin Dada, one of my favourite persons at the moment, unless there is a disciplined application of resources.
- MCAs from each of the 34 counties complaining presented the Senate with their dream number and the Senate in its wisdom, or lack of it, granted them half of the amount requested. If there was any financial logic to that award, I missed it.
My first governor, Mr Peter Munya — I have three, the second is Dr Evans Kidero and the third Mr Amason Kingi of Kilifi — has become only the second man to arrive in the offices of the editor of the Daily Nation without prior warning. The first man is a gentleman who was offended by an article we had published and he crooked his way into the place.
I only found out I had a visitor when he jumped on my table and shrieked: “I am going to kill you!” I was so startled I forgot where I keep my weapons (where I come from a man must be armed with at least a knife and a matchete for chopping off heads and a sack with which to transport them to the police station). So I hurried out of my office and did not return until he had been cajoled into exiting the premises.
But Governor Munya, whom I have a soft spot for because he is my agemate, came in peace to put across an argument that he felt that the media had not got straight. And listening to his strong argument — and like any good lawyer when he lines up his arguments he leaves no room for yours — you can see why he thought he should make the media rounds.
Those among us who are honest will be the first to admit that devolution is working wonders for the confidence and development of our country, but it will all come to none, to quote Idi Amin Dada, one of my favourite persons at the moment, unless there is a disciplined application of resources.
The generals of wasting money are, of course, the venerable ladies and gentlemen otherwise known as members of county assemblies. Until an effort was made by the financial authorities — the controller of budget and the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) — to tame them a little, they were spending their lives in airports. They toured some countries so often, and burnt so much money, that Kenyan MCAs were not being admitted to those countries.
I am sure we are all aware that MCAs never hold departmental committee meetings in their localities. They come to Nairobi or go to Mombasa to maximise pleasure and allowances.
In my opinion, unless they are carefully moderated, county assemblies can become like locusts; eating a huge volume of money without any appreciable increase in body mass, that is, development.
County assemblies get more money than the county executive. Yes, the assemblies have a legislative and oversight role but one cannot escape thinking that in terms of money, they are punching way above their weight.
The entire country is united in one resolve: to control the amount of money available for MCAs to burn in committee meetings, trips, and other exorbitant perks. Everyone, that is, except the Senate. Because senators arbitrarily, in my opinion, voted to give MCAs more money for the simple reason that the MCAs asked for it.
So MCAs from a clutch of counties went to the Senate and said: Please increase our recurrent expenditure. CRA had wisely set caps on how much the voracious MCAs were allowed to burn.
MCAs from each of the 34 counties complaining presented the Senate with their dream number and the Senate in its wisdom, or lack of it, granted them half of the amount requested. If there was any financial logic to that award, I missed it.
Everyone in this country is united in demanding that governors spend less on operations, that is recurrent, and more on development, that is, changing the lives of the people. Everyone that is, expect the Senate. Because they increased recurrent expenditure in every county by more than Sh2.5 billion. Again if there was any logic attached to that decision, I completely missed it.
Would I be in order to conclude that the senators took a political decision, intended to curry favour with the MCAs in the never-ending fight with governors? They know very well that few governors can stand up to MCAs who will likely attempt to impeach them and reduce their counties to a national joke.
Why is the Senate not imposing financial discipline in the counties? Does the Senate consider enabling MCAs to access public funds one of its responsibilities? Where is the political maturity, frugal care, thoughtfulness, and dedication to the public good in this decision?
I will raise this matter with the Senate again in 2017.
[email protected]. Twitter: @mutuma_mathiu
