Controller of Budget declines to release money to tarmac Embu road

The Office of the Controller of Budget has declined to release money to fund the tarmacking of the 12km Embu-Kibugu road.

The Controller of Budget (CoB), instead said it would only release the Sh124 million after the county assembly approved such expenditure.

The road is one of Governor Martin Wambora’s flagship projects.

In a letter dated January 25 written by the County Budget Co-ordinator Joseph Mugi, he asks the CoB to stop the county executive from withdrawing the money for the project.

The letter reveals that the county treasury had made a request to be granted Sh124 million from the Exchequer to meet the cost of services for the county executive for the year ending June 30, 2016.

The request included funds for tarmacking of county roads allocated through Section 3 of the Embu County Appropriation Act, 2015.

“The capital expenditure of Sh300 million in respect to Vote D05 sub-vote 3110400, shall only be expended as a component of capital financing instruments, approved in accordance with Articles 212 and 213 of the Constitution and Section 140 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012,” reads part of the letter sent to the CoB.

A source at the county assembly explained that the budget co-ordinator had technically forced Governor Wambora to seek the approval of the assembly, to finance the project as per the laws quoted.

Frosty relationship

The governor’s relationship with a section of MCAs has been frosty putting the future of the project in jeopardy.

The road, whose tarmacking is said to have also been tendered by the national government, is part of the 100km county ring road circuit that is expected to ease transport in Embu.

The county had planned to tarmac the entire road circuit at the cost of Sh3.8 billion, with an initial Sh300 million to kick off the works on the 12km stretch, which starts at Embu Level Five Hospital and terminates at Kibugu market, being factored in the 2015-2016 budget.

Low-cost technology

The remainder of the road was to be tarmacked via a loan agreement to be repaid by the county treasury over the next 15 years.

The road will be tarmacked using the low-cost Malaysian probase technology.

Senator Lenny Kivuti, MPs John Muchiri (Manyatta) and Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes) have faulted the county government for embarking on a project the national government is willing to do.

Residents and horticultural farmers from Kibugu have asked Mr Wambora to continue with the project saying they have waited for it since independence.