County assembly demands detailed explanation over all pending bills

The County Assembly of Trans Nzoia has declined to pass the 2021-2022 Appropriation Bill pending proper furnishing of expenditure details by the executive.

Budget and Appropriations Committee chair David Kisaka said there were so many pending bills and that the assembly could no longer pass more without the pending ones being cleared.

The assembly, however, approved the Sh8.44 billion 2021-2022 budget estimates, whose lion’s share will go to the health and agriculture departments.

The proposed budget estimates for agriculture docket is Sh670 million, health (Sh643 million), Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure (Sh524 million), Gender, Sports, Culture, and Tourism (Sh256 million), Water, Environment and Natural Resources (Sh243 million) and Education and ICT at Sh176 million.

The tough-speaking MCAs demanded a detailed explanation from the executive on the laid down framework of dealing with the pending bills. This means the executive will not spend a penny in the current financial year until they meet the demands of the county legislative arm.

Among the issues cited by the assembly, members are the controversial referral hospital facility which was allocated Sh313 million, the proposed county stadium (Sh100 million), and the modern bus park and business centre at Sh63 million.

The MCAs note that the sectors have received huge funding over time, but the relevant departments have failed to provide proper records to prove the expenditure.

“For the previous financial year, the executive should upload all the ward-specific projects. They should not cite time as a hindrance factor. We want to go and see the referral, business centre and the stadium,” said Lawrence Mokosu, the Budget Implementation Committee chair.

The mentioned projects have been a subject of controversy since inception and have drawn public criticism over their viability and the huge sums channelled towards their development.

The assembly has since issued a 14-day ultimatum for the executive to submit essential information regarding all pending bills and how they intend to accomplish them.