Education and health could benefit from travel cuts, sitting allowances

GRAPHIC: LISA WAMUGUNDA

What you need to know:

  • Sh2.94 billion was spent on sitting allowances in the 47 counties.
  • MCAs in Trans Nzoia took home the highest amount of allowances, at an average of Sh191,467 for each member.
  • Their counterparts in Mandera earned the least, at Sh37,933 each.

Reducing the funds spent on sitting allowances and travel in the county expenditures could free up significant amounts of money for education and health services in the country, an analysis by Nation Newsplex has shown.

Sh2.94 billion was spent on sitting allowances in the 47 counties in the 2014/2015 financial year. Nairobi splurged Sh150.52 million, the highest collective figure in the country, on sitting allowances for the members of its county assembly, which amounted to Sh97,994 for one member every month.

Across the counties, MCAs in Trans Nzoia took home the highest amount of allowances, at an average of Sh191,467 for each member. On the other hand, their counterparts in Mandera earned the least, at Sh37,933 each.

The analysis also found that while travel by MCAs attracts many complaints, the real frequent fliers are county executives.

If the sitting allowance paid to a Mandera MCA were replicated around the country, for example, that would free up Sh1.9 billion.

At the cost of Sh2,500 per desk, the sum of Sh1.9 billion could have acquired 763,571 new desks, enough to provide every public primary school in Kenya with 35 desks.

If the members’ pay were halved, on the other hand, the money freed up would be enough to pay a significant number of teachers.

In Kenya, a teacher qualified with a Primary School Teaching Certificate (P1) earns a basic pay of between Sh16,692 and Sh21,304 each month. Taking Sh18,998 as an average, Sh1.47 billion would be enough to pay the basic salary for 77,267 P1 teachers, which amounts to 81 per cent of all P1 teachers.

KIAMBU LEADS

The report from the Controller of Budget also shows that MCAs in the 47 counties spent Sh3.47 billion on travel, while county executives spent Sh5.68 billion, for a total of Sh9.15 billion.

Kiambu leads in expenditure on both domestic and foreign travel at Sh370 million, followed by Kajiado at Sh354.72 million and Nairobi (Sh340.52 million).

Halving the county expenditure on travel in these three counties would result in savings of Sh185 million, Sh177.36 million and Sh170.26 million respectively.

Going by international rates, high-quality Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds with a full range of electronic fittings can cost about Sh1 million, although many less expensive brands may be procured. These counties would be able to acquire at least 185, 177 and 170 of these expensive beds respectively.

The dire need for ICU beds has recently been in the spotlight in the country. An accident victim died after being left in an ambulance for 18 hours amid claims that Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was taken, did not have a free ICU bed for him.

Officials from the most popular holiday destination, Mombasa, spent the least on travel

The sitting allowances and travel data also reveal interesting trends about how individual counties use these payments.

The counties with the highest sitting allowances for each member of the assembly, in descending order, were Trans Nzoia, Migori, Homa Bay, Wajir, Busia, Siaya, Nyeri, Kakamega, Kirinyaga and Kisii.

MCAs in Trans Nzoia not only had the highest average sitting allowances for each member — Sh191,467, but also used 99 per cent of their almost Sh90 million allocation. Migori, which spent the next highest amount on sitting allowances per MCA, used 93 per cent of its budgetary allocation.

THOSE WEST POKOT EXECUTIVES

The largest budgetary allocation on sitting allowances was made by Wajir, at Sh243.5 million for 46 MCAs. Of this, Sh90 million, or 37 per cent, was used.

The three counties with the lowest allocations for sitting allowances were Turkana, Isiolo and Laikipia with Sh11 million, 14 million and 17.1 million respectively.

However, while the latter two managed to keep within the limit, Turkana caved in and spent Sh54.3 million, or five times the budgeted amount.

The analysis also found that while travel by MCAs attracts many complaints, the real frequent fliers are county executives.

Across the country, county executives outspent their assemblies on foreign and domestic travel by a total of Sh2.2 billion. In fact, county assemblies outspent their executives in only nine out of the 47 counties: Homa Bay, Nairobi, Machakos, Vihiga, Embu, Mandera, Kiambu, Baringo and Meru.

The most lopsided difference between legislative and executive travel was in West Pokot County, where county executives spent Sh190 million more on travel than county legislators, followed by Nyeri (Sh156 million), Kwale (Sh152 million), Isiolo (Sh146 million) and Siaya (Sh142 million).
Homa Bay and Nairobi counties provided the most striking examples of the opposite situation, with their legislatures outspending the county executive by Sh75.6 million and Sh70 million respectively.

While one of the most popular travel destinations for government officials in Kenya is Mombasa, the officials of that county spent the least on travel, at Sh22.6 million.

In a rare balancing act, this amount was equally split between the county executive and the county assembly, with both spending Sh11.3 million.