Samboja standoff with MCAs over the Sh 5.2 billion budget solved

Taita Taveta Wiper governor candidate Granton Samboja celebrates with supporters in Mwatate. [File/ Standard]

A disagreement between the governor and members of the county assembly over the Sh5.2 billion 2018/19 budget estimates has been settled.

The stalemate was resolved on Saturday after meetings between the two arms of the county government.

The row had been ignited by the MCAs' decision to amend the budget and introduce a ward fund that the executive had not factored into its proposals.

In the amendments, the MCAs allocated each of the 20 wards Sh9 million for a grassroots development fund during a special session presided over by the deputy speaker, Chrispus Tondoo, last Wednesday.

Changes approved

The budget and appropriation committee chaired by the Sagala MCA, Godwin Kilele, had recommended the amendments to the budget estimates.

The committee told the House that the next financial year's estimates would carry a wage bill of 56 per cent, which would undermine the development budget.

Earlier, Governor Granton Samboja had warned that he would not assent to the 2018-2019 Budget Appropriation Bill that would enable the transfer of money from the county revenue fund to the recurrent and development accounts.

Mr Samboja was angered by the MCAs decision to award the 20 wards Sh39 million each for development, which he said was supposed to be implemented by the Executive. Last Thursday, Samboja met the county assembly leadership and thereafter met MCAs, who agreed to scale down the amounts. 

On Saturday, the MCAs held a special session to beat the June 30 deadline to pass the second report on the scrutiny of the county budget estimates for this financial year appropriation Bill.

The MCAs adopted a memorandum from the executive that each ward receive Sh29 million for development instead of the proposed Sh39 million.