Governors Threaten to Halt County Operations Over Budget Disputes
On Friday, the Council of Governors (CoG) issued a 14-day warning to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, stating that county operations would be suspended if their demands are not met.
The ultimatum was presented by Anne Waiguru, the former CoG Chair and current Kirinyaga Governor, amid a growing disagreement between the national and county governments over funding allocations.
Waiguru expressed frustration over the delay in the release of vital funds, which she blamed on Treasury, and emphasized the adverse effects on county development projects.
“We, as governors, are giving the government a 14-day deadline. If nothing changes, county governments will be forced to shut down,” Waiguru said.
The governors have been vocal about the delay in the disbursement of essential funds, accusing Mbadi of holding back the resources.
They have stressed that these delays are hurting various sectors, including water, road infrastructure, and healthcare projects, which are vital for the communities they serve.
“Critical projects in water, roads, and healthcare have been put on hold. We cannot continue to ignore the cries of the public, especially when there are consistent complaints about poor service delivery and stalled developments. It’s time to act seriously,” Waiguru added.
The governors’ frustration has intensified as they also protest the recent budget cuts, which they say have resulted in a Ksh 25 billion reduction in funding for counties.
They argue that these cuts will severely disrupt donor-funded projects, which rely heavily on these funds for implementation.
Among the cuts, the governors pointed to specific programs that will be impacted, such as the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) grant, the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) grant, the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) allocation, and the Water and Sanitation Development Project (WSDP) grant, among others.
Led by Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who also chairs the CoG, the governors have called for the Senate to reject these budget cuts and to push for revisions before the final budget approval.
One major point of contention is the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which has been a long-standing issue between the governors and Members of Parliament (MPs).
The governors have expressed concerns that the RMLF has been wrongly subjected to budget cuts, despite an agreement that the fund should remain unaffected due to its ongoing court case.
Abdullahi emphasized that counties should have direct access to the RMLF, as road construction is under their jurisdiction.
He further argued that the fuel levy, which supports road maintenance, should be shared more equitably between the national government and the counties to ensure fair distribution of resources for development.
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