County to use youth, women loans fund to fight Covid-19

Garissa county has reallocated funds initially meant for interest free loans to residents to fight Covid-19 pandemic, a finance executive has said.

Roble Nunow said the county’s treasury through a supplementary budget before the Assembly transferred the funds after the department failed to utilise the money on time.

“It was in April when we sought a supplementary budget to reallocate the money to fight the coronavirus pandemic. There was no way they could utilise it in two months of the financial year,” he said.

Nunow’s remarks come after a report by Adow Jubat, the county executive in charge of Trade, Tourism and Enterprise development said no one benefited from the interest free loans, which was launched a year ago to help empower youth, women and people with disability.

The report, which was tabled before the Assembly, indicated that only Sh10 million used in the logistics was deposited. Some Sh140 million was never deposited, but was instead reallocated to other competing entities.

In what appears to be hostilities between executive members of the Governor Ali Korane-led administration, Nunow denied he had received letters from the trade department on requisitions touching on the interest free loans dubbed revolving funds.

The fund, launched by Korane in June 2019, had raised hopes for the locals, who applied in droves.