State curtails MCA's globe-trotting habits

The Government has introduced guidelines to limit foreign travel by county staff.

The new policy makes it almost impossible for governors, their deputies, county and assembly staff, and MCAs to conduct benchmarking trips aboard.

The Government said the guidelines were part of austerity measures and were "informed by the need to rationalise travel budgets across the board".

“The guidelines apply to all staff of county executives and county assemblies,” a circular by Devolution Principal Secretary Charles Sunkuli reads. 

The new policy requires all applications for international travel to be accompanied by a statement of benefit to the respective county and endorsed by the county secretary.

“In the case of MCAs, requests for travel approval must be accompanied by minutes of the respective assembly committee authenticated by the speaker of the respective assembly,” the circular states.

All training, workshops, seminars, or conferences requiring participants to pay fees to the organisers will no longer be approved.

“Exempt for this rule are conferences organised by recognised international professionals and associations to which the Government of Kenya is a member and which require registration fees" and training courses not locally available.

Official stamp

All invitation letters pertaining to the travel, the new policy states, shall bear official stamp indicating they were received in the office of the respective county secretary and must be marked "approved" by the county secretary or assembly clerk.

They are further required to indicate the total cost of travel.