July 22, 2014

Members of county assembly from Western Kenya have criticized the move by three constitutional bodies to regulate their expenditure over reports of wasteful spending as unconstitutional and unnecessary hurdles to derail implementation of devolution.

The members said the Salaries and remuneration Commission (SRC), Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) and controller of Budgets (COB) lacks mandate to control the county assembly on how they should spend funds allocated to them.

Vihiga county assembly speaker Dan Chitwa, Busia County Majority Assembly Leader Josphat Wandera, Bungoma County assembly speaker John Makali and Kakamega county assembly minority leader Marachi Kwoma said the commissions are determined to portray MCAs in negative light by creating an impression that they are squandering public funds.

“There has never been wasteful spending. The controller of budgets authorizes all spending of county assembly, so any money spend by MCAs is approved as stated by the law,” said Chitwa.

He wondered why SRC is in the forefront castigating the MCAs of wasteful spending and drawing unlawful allowances when it’s the same commission that sets the benefits and allowances as stated in the constitution.

 “The comments by Mrs. Serem is a double speak because her commission is constitutionally mandated to set benefits and allowances and what MCAs are drawing is in accordance to what SRC mandated,” said Chitwa and observed that the commissions are used by national government to fight devolution.

“I suspect commissions are no longer independent but rather mercenaries of the state to attack devolution. Their maneuvers are going to fail.”

Wandera on the other hand said SRC has lost direction and does not know where its mandate ends as a constitutional body.

He explained that all expenditures and allocation by county assemblies are approved by controller of budgets and said MCAs have no power to allocate themselves allowances.

“They want to create panic among Kenyans to gain support against devolution. I wonder why the SRC is only focused on county assemblies while the senate and national assembly are the greatest spenders with so many allowances and foreign travels. It’s a war against devolution,” said Wandera.

Makali said the assemblies have never received an audit report or advisory from the commissions at the end of the financial year advising them on how they spend or how they should spend the money allocated.

He said every money spend by county assemblies is captured in the budgets that are approved by the controller of budgets and accused the commissions of sensationalizing MCAs to fight devolution.

“Every coin spend by MCAs is captured in the budget approved by controller of budgets. Whenever money is returned to the treasury, they complain, when money is spend they complain, I wonder what they really want. I sense a sinister motive in all these,” said Makali

Kakamega County assembly minority leader Marachi Kuoma said the commission are hypocritical in their reports and observed that if there was evidence of wasteful funding or unconstitutional allocation of allowances by MCAs, they should take the culprits to court.

“Like the case of foreign trips, they are usually for benchmarking, no MCAs goes for this visits to dine and have fun. What of the allowances that members of this commission draw from taxpayer’s money. Why are they paid allowances for doing the work they were employed to do?” posed Kuoma.

Last week, Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Henry Rotich said the treasury has engaged with SRC, COB and CRA to curb wasteful spending of public funds in counties.

..Ends…