Jubilee Party asks Controller of Budget to monitor Opposition public funds

Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo at Nakuru High Court on October 25,2016 when she appeared before Lady Justice Janet Mulwa to answer summons issued upon her by the court over retired teachers Pension payment . PHOTO:KIPSANG JOSEPH

Jubilee Party has asked the Controller of Budget to stop the Opposition from using public funds channelled to counties they control to fund the People's Assembly. 

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale told Agnes Odhiambo that NASA was targeting to raise Sh50 million taxpayers’ money from counties to sponsor the initiative.

He said such a move would be an irregular public expenditure, which the Controller of Budget must not allow.

“We seek your assurance to caution all counties on financing of such activities and to vigilantly monitor the distribution of county funds to ensure that the cash flow, a proposed expenditure thereof is in line with the approved budgets and work plan and there are no drawing of public funds towards such activities,” said Mr Duale.

The Garissa Township MP said the Government was cognisant of the fact some counties have approved the peoples’ assembly motion, whose legal basis and constitutionality is still uncertain.

“The motion also seeks to establish and use the peoples’ assembly as a platform to push for secession bid, another questionable constitutional amendment,” he said.

“NASA strongholds have been required to support the initiative and have been given monetary targets of Sh50 million per county to finance activities related to the peoples’ assembly initiative.”

Duale drew the attention of Ms Odhiambo to Article 228 of the Constitution and the relevant sections in the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act on the prudent use of public funds by the counties.

In a letter to Odhiambo and copied to the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and Auditor General Edward Ouko, Duale took a swipe at the NASA leadership, accusing them of failing to account for cash mobilised from the public in the run-up to the October 26 presidential polls. “Political activities ought to be financed from political parties, which are funded from public funds...” lashed Duale.

He argued that Odhiambo was not supposed to authorise withdrawal of public funds to finance the activities of the ‘peoples’ assembly’.

“Section 109 (8) of the public finance management Act requires the approval of the controller before any monies are withdrawn from the county revenue fund, together with written instructions from the county treasury requesting for withdrawal,” he said.