Senate wants assemblies to be directly funded by Treasury

The Senate has began consultations geared towards securing financial autonomy for county assemblies across the country to enable them play their oversight role against county governments more effectively.

The consultations will give way to proposals and a draft Bill developed by Kitui county Senator David Musila.

“The draft will be ready after we resume from the Easter holiday recess. We want county assemblies to be funded directly by the national treasury instead of working at the mercy of governors and county executive committee members,” Musila said.

Earlier in the week, the Bomet County assembly adjourned indefinitely after exhausting its  budgetary allocation of Sh265 million while in Nairobi, the county assembly will tomorrow know if the county treasury can release Sh100 million to allow it to operate

Currently, all the 47 county assemblies are funded from their respective county treasuries.

Already, Sh258 billion has been set aside for county governments for the 2015/2016 financial year, and this will go to county treasuries.

It is believed that Bomet and Nairobi counties are going through what other assemblies experience.

Musila said that some Governors could be financially starving county assemblies to disable them and stop them from exercising their oversight roles.

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro says the House will not shy away from ensuring accountability in counties, even if it means impeaching errant governors or dissolving county governments.

The Senate Speaker said this in Naivasha last week during a high level workshop organised by the Senate Finance Committee set to address challenges in revenue collection and oversight duties in the devolved units.

The forum brought together the Controller of Budget, the Auditor General, the Commission on Revenue Allocation, the Transition Authority and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The Senate had also invited the chairmen of the county assemblies finance committees.

Other than the oversight role, county assemblies also play legislative and representation roles.

A Bomet county assembly official, Geoffrey Kipngetich, said they had been forced to adjourn indefinitely since members would not continue with normal business without their sitting allowances.

In the capital, Nairobi county assembly speaker Alex ole Magelo said a meeting between the county assembly service board and county government officials had resolved that funds will be provided by Monday.