NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 3 – Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has has hit out at governors for asking for a raise in the counties’ allotment to Sh425 billion and instead stated that the government has no money.
In his remarks at the MPs’ Post-Election Seminar on Thursday in Mombasa, DP Gachagua bared his teeth and attacked the governors, stating that the Kenya Kwanza administration was broke and unable to comply with their requests.
“They are asking for Sh425 billion. SRC is saying that in our scheme of mathematics, you can give Sh407 billion. The national government is saying that is good, SH407 billion is even better, we can give it to you but we don’t have it, we only have 380 billion,” Gachagua said.
“So, if you want to hang us, we are helpless! If you want to remove our trousers and whip us on, go ahead, we don’t have the money! We are people who will talk the truth. What we don’t want to do is to cheat governors that we will give them money which we don’t have.”
He reiterated that the State could only afford to allocate between Sh380 and Sh385 billion which is about Sh40 billion less of their demands.
The second in command acknowledged that the government is having trouble paying the monthly payouts to counties and asserted that it would be a great lie for it to offer Sh425 billion when it is obvious that it is having trouble paying Sh370 billion that was authorized in the budget.
The deputy president insisted that the governors shouldn’t expect President William Ruto to pay more than the budget allotment, citing the challenging economic climate.
He compared his administration to that of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who he asserted had difficulty distributing only sh. 50 billion to counties.
“They were promised sh. 50 billion it never came. We are having problems giving them their disbursements every month, we are three months behind. So we are asking them, if what was in the budget, 370 billion, we are unable to give you, to give you 425 billion will just be a lie,” he said.
“President Ruto and I are Christians and we swore with the Bible before God and the people of Kenya to always speak the truth, we have no sh 425 billion to give to the governors, we do not have sh 407, we will try to look for the sh.385 billion and we are not promising we will try.”
The DP also stated that if President Ruto’s administration was successful in increasing tax collection from sh 2.2 to sh 3 trillion, the county distribution would be revisited.
Gachagua’s comments came a day after Kakamega Governor and Chair of the CoG’s Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs committee Fernandes Barasa urged the government to distribute sh. 425 billion to help counties deliver services.
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