Saturday, July 19, 2014

Revealed: County reps who earn the highest perks

Members of Nairobi County Assembly march outside the assembly on June 4, 2014 after they walked out in solidarity with their leader of minority Hassan Guyo who was sent out by the speaker. Jubilee MCAs who had carried full loaves into the chamber taunted their Cord counterparts that the government was fully theirs. PHOTO/JEFF ANGOTE
Members of Nairobi County Assembly march outside the assembly in a past protest. The county representatives receive the highest amount in sitting allowances while their Isiolo counterparts are the least paid, a new report shows. PHOTO/JEFF ANGOTE 
By ISAAC ONGIRI
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Nairobi City county representatives receive the highest amount in sitting allowances while their Isiolo counterparts are the least paid, a new report shows.
The report by the Controller of Budget reveals that on average each MCA in Nairobi is paid Sh262,088 per month.
In contrast, their Isiolo counterparts earn just Sh17,219.
Other big earners are in famine-stricken West Pokot (Sh238,564), Nyamira (Sh237,037) and Uasin Gishu (Sh196,748).
Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo warns that the sitting and travel allowances are gobbling up huge amounts of county governments cash.
She has raised a red flag over this and is calling for action to stop the spending spree.
County governments spent Sh4.8 billion on travel and Sh82 million on sitting allowances in the third quarter of the 2013/2014 financial year, according to the report.
Sitting allowances
Two Coast counties — Kwale and Mombasa — are among those who spent heavily on sitting allowances.
Kwale paid each of its county reps an average of Sh118,506 a month while Mombasa paid Sh108,257.
Busia and Laikipia counties are among those that exceeded their travel budgets.
Despite having been allocated only Sh79.1 million, Busia spent Sh104.4 million raising the percentage of absorption to 132 per cent. Laikipia had Sh117 million to spend on travel but utilised Sh122.8 million on both domestic and foreign travel.
Said the Controller of Budget: “Machakos County registered the highest expenditure on domestic and foreign travel at Sh201.7 million.”
Nakuru spent Sh198 million on travel while Kajiado utilised Sh196.8 million.
According to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), MCAs should not earn more than Sh124,000 a month in sitting allowances. However, in counties like Nairobi on average, each MCA earns Sh262,088 in sitting allowances.
This amounts to an audit query, the Controller of Budget said in its report. Leaders of counties and those who get the allowances risk sanctions.
Cannot balance
On June 16, the Controller of Budget, Ms Agnes Odhiambo, wrote to the 47 governors and county assemblies warning that budgets that cannot balance will not be tolerated.
“Allocation to foreign and domestic travel hospitality, training and seminars should be guided by Article 201 (d) of the Constitution,” Ms Odhiambo said.
If found by the state audit to have violated the law, culprits are punished as recommended by the auditors including prosecution and surcharges.
Nairobi City County is listed at the top, having spent Sh299.8 million in sitting allowances for its 127 members of county assembly against its annual budget of Sh160 million at an absorption rate of 187.2 per cent.
The report came even as governors and the county reps in some parts of the country are clashing over the appropriation Bills, with the assemblies demanding more money to fund their activities in the coming budget.
There is a standoff in Bomet, Kirinyaga and Makueni as county assembly members have paralysed budget processes to demand more cash from the governors.
Other counties with questionable expenditures on allowances include Kirinyaga, which has spent Sh16 million on allowances for 29 members despite having budgeted for only Sh15 million.
Narok County Assembly is also in the black book for spending more than it budgeted for.
The county spent Sh18 million to pay allowances for 47 county representatives though it only budgeted for Sh17 million in the reported period.
Kirinyaga raised an absorption rate of 157.4 per cent while Narok’s absorption rate was 110 per cent on the sitting allowances paid to members.
“Analysis of expenditure on sitting allowances shows that there exists a huge discrepancy on the payments per individual member across the counties,” Ms Odhiambo said in a report, adding: “The average sitting allowances per month ranges from Sh17,219 in Isiolo to Sh262,088 in Nairobi.”
Members from Migori claim Sh154,874 each, Trans Nzoia Sh152,443, Homa Bay Sh147,153, Kisii Sh128,997, Nyeri Sh119,277 and Kwale Sh118,506.

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