Busia budget approval in limbo after committee disbanded

The Busia County Assembly at a session. The county's 2018/2019 budget approval is in limbo following the disbandment of assembly’s budget and appropriation committee. PHOTO | GAITANO PESSA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  GAITANO PESSA

What you need to know:

  • Mr Obwogo had last week accused members of demanding Sh79.5 million for them to approve the budget.
  • The Speaker said the county budget will be ready before the end of the month as required by the law.
  • Mr Obwogo's utterances last Tuesday irked the 52 ward reps who threatened to send the committee packing.

Busia County’s 2018/2019 budget approval is in limbo following the disbandment of assembly’s budget and appropriation committee.

The committee which was headed by Nangima MCA John Obwogo had been sensationally accused of demanding Sh79.5 million or Sh1.5 million for each member for approval of the Sh7.7 billion county 2018/2019 budget proposal.

Majority and minority leaders in the assembly now have to select new members before the end of June which is the deadline for approval of county budgets.

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Mr Obwogo had last week accused members of demanding Sh79.5 million for them to approve the budget.

REPORT

Speaker Bernard Wamalwa confirmed receipt of the report from the two House leaders expressing their willingness to recall their members from the committee.

“As a speaker my role now is to pronounce parties’ wishes to reconstitute their membership in the committee. The committee is therefore disbanded,” he said.

In a follow-up interview in his office, the Speaker assured Busia residents that House business will continue normally and that the county budget will be ready before the end of the month as required by the law.

“I am waiting for the names of the new committee [members] from the head of majority, minority and party leaders,” the Speaker.

Mr Obwogo, who skipped the morning sitting, has vowed to seek legal action.

CLEAN

Before the adoption of the report, members led by Minority Leader Felix Omanyi warned that they will not tolerate gross misconduct in the House.

“We are clean and have never demanded for bribes. What we asked the committee [to do] is to explain some allocation in the estimates that we felt were unsupported. As a committee [chairman] that was the last thing we expected from Mr Obwogo, (and that was) the reason we disbanded the team.

“To redeem our image we feel a new team should lead the process of approving this year’s budget,” said Moses Ouma, the Amukura Central MCA.

The utterances by Mr Obwogo last Tuesday irked the 52 ward reps who threatened to send the committee packing.

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