This archive report was first published on 8 July 2019.
Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu's administration is facing a fresh crisis after the County Assembly rejected her supplementary budget, citing irregularities and potential loopholes for embezzlement.
The assembly shot down the budget on July 4, 2019, terming it an 'ill-informed venture' that could lead to the misuse of public funds. This decision has resulted in the delay of June salaries for county workers, with no clear indication of when they will be paid.
County Secretary Alex Kimanzi issued an internal memo to chief officers on July 4, 2019, informing them of the delay and assuring them that the Executive was working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
However, the County Assembly has accused the Executive of violating the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, by proposing the transfer of funds from the development budget to pay salaries and wages. The assembly stated that this action was 'illegal' and that they could not approve supplementary budgets prepared against the law.
Governor Ngilu responded to the criticism, claiming that the assembly was bent on frustrating her administration so that she would appear bad in the eyes of voters. She emphasized that her duty was to propose ways of spending funds and seek approval from the County Assembly.
Some MCAs have, however, accused the Executive of getting its priorities wrong and challenged Governor Ngilu to explain how funds budgeted for salaries at the beginning of the last financial year were used. The county Planning Department explained that the funds were used to settle an accrued KRA tax liability from 2013 to 2017.
James Munuve, a member of the Budget Committee, alleged that the salary mess was caused by irregular and unauthorized recruitment of staff in the department of Health and Sanitation, which had caused the wage bill to skyrocket.
