Why county bosses could lose jobs

By PROTUS ONYANGO

Some governors may be rendered jobless in the next six months and their counties taken over by the national government unless they employ prudent financial management.

 This warning has been issued by the Commission on Revenue Allocation which insists that broke county governments will be taken over, and their functions served by the National Government.

 The commission’s chairman Micah Cheserem said governors of affected counties will automatically lose their jobs. 

 Mr Cheserem also explained that counties with budget deficits would not receive any funds from the national government.

 This comes at time when 25 counties have budgets with deficits, while the remaining 12 have balanced budgets and the rest have surpluses.

 Cheserem said the affected counties’ governors have not stated how their collective deficit of Sh10 billion will be bridged.He added that the Controller of Budget, Agnes Odhiambo, cannot release any funds to the counties with deficits.

 But Kajiado County Governor Peter Ole Mositet of Jubilee dismissed Cheserem, saying his views are misplaced.

 “There is nothing to indicate that counties will fold up after six months if they do not have funds. We agreed with the CRA and the Controller of Budget to be releasing money monthly to the counties,” Mositet said.

 He added: “Governors are vigilant and must use money prudently so that the issue of being taken over does not arise.”

 Mositet, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Senate’s Financial Committee, said his committee will go round the country to check on the capacity of counties and inspect projects.

 Some of the counties with a budget deficit are Mombasa with Sh9.6 billion, Nyamira Sh3.4 billion, Vihiga Sh2 billion, Siaya Sh1.79 billion and Kisumu Sh2.2 billion.

  Kenneth Lusaka, Bungoma County governor said he does not know how much his county