Nairobi County Assembly is broke, says speaker
There is no money to run the Nairobi County Assembly, Speaker Alex Ole Magelo has said.
The assembly has also not received over Sh100 million to pay contractors who are threatening to stop working.
Mr Magelo will on Wednesday tell Members of the County Assembly why they have no money to travel abroad.
This is after Roysambu Ward Representative Peter Warutere on Tuesday asked why allowances for trips had not been released.
Mr Magelo said that the Executive had refused to remit money to the County Assembly although he did not state why.
“I am in crisis. I know that members are supposed to go to Arusha but they will not have allowances,” Mr Magelo said.
COMPLETELY GROUNDED
The Assembly’s Clerk Jacob Ngwele has written to the auditor general over the matter after efforts to get the money from the Executive proved futile.
“Urgently avail Sh198 million being underfunding for January 2015 and note that if no funds are available, the operations of the county assembly are likely to be completely grounded,” the letter reads.
In the letter, the clerk claims that the assembly only received Sh20 million to pay salaries leaving no money for development or to facilitate work by MCAs.
To date, the assembly has accumulated a Sh442 million deficit over the constant delays.
On Tuesday, a delegation of clerks from across the country met the Auditor-General and will today seek audience with the Senate Committee on finance over the matter.
This is not the first time the assembly has complained over delays in getting money from the executive.
In July last year, Mr Ngwele told the Select committee for Budget and Appropriation that the county executive was frustrating his efforts to carry out his mandate as an accounting officer.
He explained that the County treasury was short-changing the assembly.