Counties to get cash after revising budgets

By RAWLINGS OTIENO

KENYA: Comptroller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo has said Sh210 billion will not be released to counties until they review their budgets to eliminate unconstitutional wasteful allocations as earlier directed.

But on Monday the counties secured authority to spend funds they have collected from their various sources of revenue to sustain county operations.

Ms Odhiambo said the Sh210 billion allocation to the counties as their share of national revenue has not been released until all counties rationalise their budgets, a process she hopes will be concluded this week.

“Counties are already working on revising their budgets and once that is done, we will then dispatch the funds. For now they are still getting the money they collect as their revenue,” said Odhiambo.

Extend period

The Comptroller of Budget also indicated that they would consider an extension of the time for the counties to revise their budgets if they shall not have completed the exercise by the end of the week.

But she cautioned that the extension would only be given according to the challenges such counties are facing that have hindered them from accomplishing the task in time.

“We will treat each county according to its own challenges. But we hope that those counties are working towards the two weeks time,” added Odhiambo.

Odhiambo, however, remained non-committal on exact date the Sh210 billion will be dispatched to the counties.

The CRA released a schedule in June this year on how the Sh210 billion will be shared among the 47 counties. According to CRA, Nairobi County will receive the largest allocation at Sh9.9 billion and Lamu the smallest at Sh1.6 billion.

Odhiambo had also warned the governors against excessive spending on local and foreign trips and imprests.

She also warned that some counties had budgeted for purchase of vehicles and mortgages for their staff without obtaining authority from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission as required by law.

Her office had already written to 14 governors asking them to obtain the required approvals before she can authorise such expenditure, an issue she expects to be addressed in the revised budgets.

Speaking to The Standard on phone Monday, Odhiambo maintained that the counties were only to revise their budgets by cutting down on areas that are not of immediate concern.