Embu Assembly Breaks Recess to pass COVI 19 supplementary budget

Members of the County Assembly of Embu who are on recess following the outbreak of the corona virus disease yesterday temporarily reconvened to pass the first Supplementary Budget for the financial year 2019/2020.
In the supplementary budget, development expenditure took a total of Sh 2,249,886,335 while Sh 4,524,744,181 went to recurrent expenditure.
The County Assembly also set aside Sh 750 million for payment of pending bills owed to suppliers.
The Ward Reps appropriated a total of Sh 6,774,407,535 comprising of a Sh 6,485,859,024 approved budget for the current financial year and the unspent closing balances for the financial year 2018/2019 of Sh 368,548,511.
Speaking while moving the Motion on the re-appropriation of county funds, Deputy Speaker Steve Simba said departments at the County Executive included Sh 512,601,363 in the expenditure for pending bills, comprising of Sh 181,580,325 and Sh 331,021,038 for recurrent and development bills respectively.
However, the Runyenjes Central MCA pointed out that the departments declared and submitted supporting documents for pending bills of Sh 917,063,603 to the County Assembly Liaison Committee for both development and recurrent expenditure.
The MCAs had therefore to strike a compromise to ensure the county paid some of its suppliers in the current fiscal period, he said.
Simba further revealed that after the scrutiny of the pending bills and other relevant supporting documents, the committee recommended that debts of Sh 750,000,000 for both development and recurrent expenditure be settled this year while the balance of the verified pending bills would be provided for in next year’s budget.
In addition, the Liaison Committee which was acting on behalf of the Budget and appropriations committee also approved flagship projects worth Sh 266,000,000.
The approved budget also includes Sh 430 million worth of Ward equalization projects for implementation in the financial year 2019/2020 among other major development initiatives.
The Assembly also approved that the county spends Sh 2,870,281,037 representing 42.49 per cent of the budget on personnel emoluments while operations and maintenance were allocated Sh 1,551,418,847 representing 22.96 per cent of the total budget.
In the remaining phase of the fiscal year, development expenditure was allocated Sh 2,332,707,651 representing 34.53 per cent of the total budget.
Major allocations approved included the tarmacking of county roads valued at Sh 155 million, completion of Embu Level Five Hospital’s Badea Ward Block –B at Sh 33 Million, Kyeni project water Sh 20 million and Mbeere North water projects of Sh 20 Million.
Other notable projects include the construction of a water intake and purchase of pipes and storage Tanks for Embu level -5 hospital at Sh 8.5 Million, construction of an oxygen generating plant at the County referral hospital at Sh 13m Million, construction of the Governor’s official residence at Sh 20 Million, Sh 98 Million for construction of County Assembly office complex and Sh 100 Million for the proposed Ugweri milk processing plant.
The County Youth Trust fund was allocated Sh 15 Million, aimed at providing subsidised loans to young entrepreneurs.
The MCAs urged Governor Martin Wambora to approve the reallocation of funds without alterations to guarantee that the Embu residents at the grass root level enjoy development for the remaining part of the Financial Year.
By Steve Gatheru