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KENYA: Embu County Government is unable to pay its suppliers or finance development projects after County Assembly was barred from debating a supplementary budget by a court order.
Speaker Kariuki Mate said the Assembly was late in considering the Supplementary Budget estimates hence would be in breach of a court order and attract stiff penalties since it contained funds for the controversial MCA office complex.
The complex that would have cost Sh335million has been temporarily halted by the Embu High Court pending hearing and determination of a case by two county residents who want the project abolished.
The supplementary budget was meant to reallocate funds that were unused in the 2014/2015 budget.
He said the implications of the Court Order which bars supply of funds to the County Assembly office complex would necessitate the exclusion of any consideration that would avail money for the construction.
The Speaker however noted that Sh35 million was already committed and a Local Service Order (LSO) issued to that effect.
Mate admitted that Governor Martin Wambora had pleaded him to allow the debate on the Supplementary Budget since suppliers, contractors and other creditors were up in arms for non-payment of debts, but added that his hands were tied by the court order.
The Speaker declined requests by his deputy Ibrahim Swaleh and MCAs Kanjogu Mugo (Kyeni North) and Robert Ireri (Kagaari South) to allow the Supplementary Budget to be debated minus the office complex project because it was critical for the county to release funds.
He said MCAs would not draw him into a discussion of the merits and demerits of the office complex without attracting contempt charges.
“The beauty of court processes is that they do not last forever. This suit will come to an end and the supplementary budget will be passed,” said Mate.
He warned that the people who had moved to court to stop the Assembly project may be wishing to have several MCAs jailed for contempt of court.
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