In a statement, the CoG stated that the Senate must approve allocations for the counties to draw the funds/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 12 – The Council of Governors says the allocation of funds provided by the National Government Supplementary budget to pay doctors’ salaries arrears during the 100-day strike have not reached counties yet.
In a statement, the CoG stated that the Senate must approve allocations for the counties to draw the funds.
It urged the House to consider the matter as an issue of national interest by reconvening urgently to approve the allocation.
“In order for this allocation to be disbursed to counties, the supplementary allocation must be approved by the Senate through an amendment to the County Allocation of Revenue Act of 2016. Currently, these funds cannot be disbursed to counties until the Senate meet to make these very important amendments,” the statement indicated.
It further explained that County Governments do not have extra allocation within their budgets to cater for doctors’ salaries.
“We are therefore appealing to the Senate to pick up this issue as of when it resumes its sittings and to urgently dispense of it as a matter of national interest to allow counties to be able to meet its payment obligation to the health workers.”
It explained that counties were to receive an additional allocation of Sh1.5 billion for the half year implementation through the National Treasury “to cushion counties during the transition phase of implementation of the return-to-work formula.”
It is also noted that the allocation has already been provided for within the National Government Supplementary budget.
The National Treasury authorised the Ministry of Health to incur expenses worth 1.69 billion to be disbursed to Counties to cater for the negotiated health workers and clinical officers’ allowances for the first phase of implementation with effect from January 1, 2017.
In order for this allocation to be disbursed to counties, the supplementary allocation must be approved by the Senate through an amendment to the County Allocation of Revenue Act of 2016.
Currently, these funds cannot be disbursed to counties until the Senate meets to make these very important amendments.
Doctors in various counties have threatened to boycott work while accusing the government of failing to implement the return-to-work formula that ended their strike.
This is even as the doctors’ union has concluded an audit on which counties have paid the doctors who did not work in the 100-day strike.
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