Governor Kinuthia Mbugua seeks assembly approval to spend an additional Sh300m

Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua. (Photo: File/Standard)

A fortnight before the financial year ends, Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua is seeking approval to spend an additional Sh300 million.

In a supplementary budget that was returned to the assembly after the County Treasury withdrew it a month ago, the governor proposed to slash Sh80 million from the assembly's staff mortgages and car loans.

The supplementary budget was tabled last week and went through the first reading Wenesday. A month ago, Treasury Chief Officer Torome Kapaya withdrew the document from the House after a storm erupted over alleged illegal recruitment of staff.

In the initial document, the assembly had sought additional funds to hire 25 nurses and 275 nursery school teachers.

The Treasury has further sought administrative transfer of funds earlier allocated to various projects across ministries in the 2015-2016 budget.

Among those affected is the governor's office, which was allocated Sh100 million for staff mortgages. Allocations to the Public Service Board and Treasury were also slashed as the county sought to realign the budget to fund development.

The County Treasury also sought approval to spend Sh9 million on the pyrethrum revival project, Sh3.8 million for rehabilitation of housing projects and Sh5 million for the purchase of a processing plant in Subukia.

The supplementary budget further showed the county collected Sh1.35 billion in local revenue as at April 2016, against a target of Sh2.3 billion projection in the 2015-16 financial year.

Through realignment of various projects earmarked for funding in the current financial year, some projects were stopped, while others had their funding slashed, with the County Treasury proposing new projects.

For instance, funding for four early childhood development centres in Chepseon, Kama, Ngecha, San Marco and Salgaa, which had been allocated Sh10.12 million, were slashed.

Two water projects in Mosop, which had been allocated Sh15.7 million, were removed from the supplementary budget.

Treasury also proposed a Sh9.1 million reduction in development budget allocated to the Environment, Water and Natural Resources department. The Roads, Transport and Public Works docket will receive Sh20.9 million in additional funding.

In the proposal, funding for development projects in the Agriculture department saw the budget reduced by Sh6.39 million while Trade and Tourism has seen Sh1.16 million cut from its budget. Health will receive Sh183 million more, the County Assembly Sh47 Million, Roads and Public Works Sh23 million and Sh20.9 million for Environment.