Row as ward representatives reject revised budget

By LUCAS NG’ASIKE

Turkana, Kenya: Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Turkana have rejected Sh645 million allocated to them by the county executive as it had been reduced.

The MCAs said they would not take the money that had been allocated to them by the finance docket that slashed the Sh1.2 billion they had passed last Thursday to Sh645 million.

Turkana County Assembly Clerk Alfred Adongo said the amount was not what they passed.

“We cannot take the money because that is not what the County Assembly passed last week. We amended the budget to Sh1.2 billion and that is what is supposed to be allocated to us,” Adongo said.

The clerk said they would soon take the budget appropriation Bill to the House for another round of discussion.

He said the executive and the County Assembly make their budget independently and this is later brought to the House for discussion before it is passed.

The finance and planning executive committee member Paul Nabuin and Governor Josphat Nanok unveiled the Sh8.24 billion budget on Sunday last week to beat the June 30 deadline.

MCAs refuted earlier reports that appeared in the Press that they had not passed the budget. Nabuin said the Sh1.2 billion demanded would affect the entire budget.

“The County Assembly members should stop threatening me. We are not at war,” Nabuin said.