Economy

Counties spend Sh8bn on trips in nine months

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AGNES ODHIAMBO, CONTROLLER OF BUDGET. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Counties spent Sh8.59 billion on domestic and foreign trips between July and March as luxury spending by the devolved units continues to hurt development.

The Controller of Budget’s report indicates that the counties spent Sh7.15 billion in the same period last year, reflecting a growth of 20 per cent, which is in line with annual double digit growth in trips expenditure since 2013.

Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo warns that meeting and travel allowances are taking a huge chunk of county governments’ revenues.

County representatives spent Sh1.73 billion on sitting allowances in the period to March, with each of the country’s 2, 266 MCAs earning on average Sh84, 874 monthly.

This comes in the backdrop of a public outcry against MCAs and governors that they go on numerous trips involving large delegations.

“The expenditure represented 65.2 per cent of the total budget of Sh13.17 billion allocation towards domestic and foreign travel,” says Ms Odhiambo in the report dated May 2017.

Of the 47 counties, Nairobi, Machakos and Nakuru counties had the highest expenditure on trips having spent a total Sh449.01 million, Sh340.66 million and Sh322.82 million, respectively.

Elgeyo Marakwet, Laikipia, and West Pokot recorded the least spending at Sh64.45 million, Sh65.09 million and Sh91.31 million, respectively.

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The report is likely to ignite criticism on how the county government officials spend taxpayers’ money on what are eemed as unjustified trips.

Ms Odhiambo said an analysis of expenditure on domestic and foreign travel as a proportion of the annual budgetary allocation by county indicated that a total of five counties spent above 100 per cent of their budget allocation. This means they had surpassed their annual budgets with three months remaining to the end of the financial year and ate into budgets for other approved expenditures.

These counties included Nakuru which spent 271.8 per cent, Trans Nzoia at 176.5 per cent, Turkana at 111.7 per cent, Makueni at 104.7 per cent, and Bungoma at 102.1 per cent. “The spending was irregular and should be addressed by way of a supplementary budget,” says Ms Odhiambo.

The MCAs have in the past accused Auditor-General Edward Ouko and Ms Odhiambo of unfairly targeting them in their investigations into foreign trips, arguing that the national government was blowing billions on trips.

Control of Budget is yet to issue quarter three report on the national government spending, but it had spent Sh7 billion on trips in the first half ended December.