County Assemblies want their funding allocation separated from Executive.

Siaya County Assembly Speaker George Okode{C} address the media during the ongoing fourth Annual Legislative Summit for MCAs and Senators in Kisumu.He says County Assemblies needs financial Autonomy-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

By Dickson Odhiambo.

April 17, 2019.

County Assemblies want their funding allocation separated from Executive.

THE County Assemblies across the county want a separate allocation of funding done not to be included in the executive wing of the County Government.

Siaya County Assembly Speaker George Okode said this will surely help the county assemblies to do their work effectively without delays.

Addressing the press on the sidelines of the ongoing 4^th Annual Legislative Summit in Kisumu, Okode said with the kind of work the County Assemblies are doing, there is need to have it funding which it really controls and not from the executive wing of the county Government.

He said the Senate should consider the proposal for the County Assemblies to have its own funding without going through the Executive Wing of the County Government as well as ensuring that the Assemblies are given powers to control their funding.

Okode who is also the Organizing Secretary of the County Assemblies Forum said the current scenario where the County Assemblies still go and get its funding from executive wing of the Government is not a good move at all.

He said one of the talks that will be dominating this year’s ongoing fourth Annual Summit in Kisumu will be about the proposal to split the funding to the County Governments with an aim wanting the county assemblies to have its own funding.

“As county Assemblies, we have a proposal that we have our own funding where our funding will be separated from the one of the executive wing of the county Government. This will enable us to run our work effectively without any delay since we are the one who will be controlling our funding directly,” Okode said.

He said the County Assemblies across the country play three very important roles of legislation, representation and oversight the executive wing of the County Government.

He said the current Public Finance Management Act still give powers to County Executive Committee Member in Charge of Finance, adding if a county wants funding it is still done through the CEC in charge of Finance.

Moses Samande of Narok County Assembly said there is lack of independence of Assemblies by not directly receiving funds from the exchequer is one of the major challenges facing the Assemblies in Kenya.

He said the issue of Finance CECs from the Counties who still determine what amount goes to the assemblies also remain a major challenge.

“We need to be very much independent from the Counties executive on the way we get our funding for our operations,” he said.

He said some unfavorable laws that give more powers to the CECs in charge of finances in the counties should be amended.

“Some laws give more powers to CECs finance at the county level on budget management and limit the assemblies to make the much needed changes in budget making process,” he said.

He said there is need by the Senate to amend Section 37{1} of the Public Finance Management Act regulations that limit the Assemblies to only implementing one percent.

Kisumu East Member of Parliament Shakil Shabir said Members of the County Assemblies across the country should be supported to have a kitty known as ward development fund which will help them in developing their wards.

He said the MCAs should never be part of the signatories to such ward development fund account’s but ward managers as well as other relevant persons should be the signatories.

The Lawmaker has suggested that sanity should be there in the management of public funds at the county level, adding that members of the county assemblies should stand up and help in the fight against the issue of corruption at the county level.

ENDS: