This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
On July 25, 2019, Governor Anne Waiguru sent the 2019/20 Appropriation Bill back to the county assembly, rejecting the spending estimates.
The governor noted in a four-page memo that Members of the County Assembly had approved budget changes in violation of the Public Finance Management Act 2012.
According to the memo, the assembly can either increase or decrease the expenditure of a vote, but it shall not exceed or decrease by one per cent of the vote's ceiling.
For instance, the Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, Tourism, Industrialisation and Enterprise Development was allocated Sh45 million against a proposed Sh54 million, representing a 16 per cent drop.
The Executive had proposed expenditure of Sh306 million but ward representatives approved Sh181 million, resulting in a 46 per cent deficit.
The assembly has 14 days from July 24, 2019, to either amend the Bill or muster a two-thirds majority and pass it without making any changes.
