The move by Speaker George Mutua (pictured) came just a day after Governor Kaluki Ngilu moved to court to compel him to communicate the assembly’s decision on the adoption 2019/20 financial year budget/FILE – KITUI COUNTY ASSEMBLY
KITUI, Kenya, Jul 17 – Kitui County Assembly Speaker has delivered a backdated memorandum to the Office of the Controller of Budget (OCOB) on approved 2019/20 budget estimates for the county.
The move by Speaker George Mutua came just a day after Governor Kaluki Ngilu moved to court to compel him to communicate the assembly’s decision on the adoption 2019/20 financial year budget.
Ngilu moved to court on Monday after Mutua delayed to relay the crucial memorandum to OCOB to allow the devolved unit access funds.
In the suit filed at Kitui Law Courts, the governor said the Mutua’s failure to communicate to OCOB regarding the 2019/2020 approved budget had made it difficult for her administration to access funds from the National Treasury to pay county staff June salaries.
READ : Governor Ngilu moves to court as Kitui Speaker declines to authorize spending
OCOB had written to the Kitui County Executive Committee Member for Finance advising that her office can only authorize the release of funds after it is furnished with a letter from County Assembly Speaker as required by in law.
The Assembly passed the county budget on June 28 with the Speaker expected to communicate the decision in writing by July 5.
Ngilu’s administration faulted Speaker Mutua for delaying the communication which is in law supposed to be made within seven days from the date of the passage of the budget as stipulated under Section 134 (3) of the Public Finance Management Act.
The county’s executive had asked the Assembly to reallocate more funds to cater for salary after a shortfall occasioned by a Sh498 million payment for tax arrears accrued between 2013 and 2017.
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