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Some counties may not get funds yet - CoB

Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakango, Dr. Perminus Nyaga Ndimutu and IGRTC acting chairman John Burugu at the Panorama Hotel, Naivasha, on Tuesday, July 14.

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakango has said some counties may not receive disbursements due to lack of funds and delayed passage of their appropriations Bill.

She said those counties with major disputes between the county executives and assemblies will be hit by an acute shortage of funds.

Nyakango was speaking on Tuesday during the induction workshop for the new Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) team in Naivasha.

The committee, which has a six-year term, is being led by acting chairman John Burugu, taking over from Professor Karega Mutahi’s team.

“IGRTC has a big scope to address as most counties have been in dispute over resources and some even now have not forwarded their appropriations acts so they may even not be able to get salaries for staff and development,” Nyakango said.

Requisitions must reach her office on time and delays mostly lead to late disbursements, she said.

“Hence, we continually urge counties and relevant affiliates to ensure financial matters are addressed in line with timelines.”

The CoB said the country has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and has treated the issue as an emergency.

“If we encounter issues of mismanagement and misuse of such funds, we escalate the investigations to other bodies, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Auditor General and other arms of government,” Nyakango said.

She called on government officials to follow the Public Finance Management Act.

“It’s important to avoid flouting the laws and observe principles of public finance including openness, accountability, and public participation,” the CoB said.

That will promote an equitable society where the burden of taxation is shared fairly as well as equitable sharing of revenue among national and county governments, she said.

"In public service, stewardship is paramount and every officer is supposed to ensure responsible use of public resources by state officials on behalf of the citizens.”

She advised the IGRTC to fast-track amendment of the Intergovernmental Relations Act to address the enormous challenges facing the counties.

The committee needs more power to deal with disputes, she said.

“The IGRTC needs to re-look into their powers and suggest amendments so we can overcome some challenges of low absorption of development funds,” she said. This is due to lengthy procurement processes, weak project management and misunderstandings among MCAs and county executives, Nyakango said.

She said devolution is hampered by lack of clear guidelines and necessary framework so the public can assist in overseeing budget processes.

The CoB cited persistent shortfalls in collection of own source revenues due to manual systems coupled with revenue leakages.

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