Ngilu takes own county to court – Weekly Citizen

Kitui county leaders have condemned the standoff between the county executive and the county assembly over salary delay. At the same time, the leaders rubbished Governor Charity Ngilu’s move to settle the matter in court instead of working towards a truce with the ward representatives. Speaking to Weekly Citizen on telephone from Uganda, Kenya’s ambassador to Uganda, Kiema Kilonzo said the hostility between the governor and the assembly is retarding development. He said instead of resorting to court, the governor should dialogue with the county assembly and the workers’ trade unionists. Kiema said refusal by the assembly to pass supplementary budget has nothing to do with salaries and wages and therefore the executive should come clean on the matter. And speaking at Kyuso, nominated

Governor Ngilu

Wiper MCA Colleta Kimanzi asked the governor not to drag Wiper party leader into her woes. “Kalonzo does not sit in the county assembly chambers and it’s wrong to accuse him on matters touching the MCAs’ deliberations in the house,” she said. Last week, the governor whose party is minority in the assembly, accused Kalonzo Musyoka of using his majority MCAs in the assembly to frustrate her development plans. Kitui county professionals, through their coordinator Campel Munyambu, also voiced their concern over the impasse in the county government. “Workers are demoralised and cannot surcharge their duties on an empty stomach hence the need for the governor to look for a lasting solution on salaries delayed,” said Munyambu. In a press statement last week by the county assembly on the current state of the vote on account, delayed salaries and assembly’s oversight role issued by MCAs,

Majority leader Peter Kilonzo

Kitui county assembly majority leader Peter Kilonzo said that a vote on account together with 2019/2020 approved budget were submitted to the treasury on July 2 2019 but while on a visit to the controller of budget last Wednesday were directed to resubmit the same this time under the signature of the county speaker which he did on 11 July 2019. “It’s surprising to learn from the dailies that the governor has gone to court on a matter that had been dealt with by the assembly in accordance to the law adding that according to the controller of budgets, all releases for the salaries for FY 2018/2019 had been fully made,” said majority leader Kilonzo terming it a sideshow and seeking sympathy from mwananchi. Kilonzo supported Kiema’s sentiments that the statutory budget letter has no correlation with unpaid June salaries and therefore the county executive should explain to mwananchi what happened to June salaries. He said the alleged KRA penalties cannot be expensed from salaries as they are ring fenced. About the oversight role, the county assembly feels like the governor is hellbent on ensuring that they do not undertake any oversight on the implementation of 2018/2019 projects. According to them,there are projects amounting to a total of Sh1,726,900,000 whose funds were budgeted and by the assembly but were completely not implemented. Currently the county government’s expenditure on wages and benefits exceeds 35pc of total revenue as opposed to county government regulation of 2015 ,25(1)b of public finance management due to unauthorised engagement of casuals.