Laikipia County Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee yesterday resumed sitting to deliberate on the recent Executive’s proposal to amend the current financial budget to set aside Sh. 741.7 million in curbing the spread of coronavirus disease.
The county government seeks to draw Sh741.7 million from its current 2019/2020 budget and inject it into the Covid-19 management kitty.
Speaker Patrick Waigwa said he would call for a plenary sitting in a week’s time to debate and endorse the proposal, but appealed to members to play their oversight role and ensure that the funds are spent prudently.
“We expect the Executive to avail records of the monies even as we approve the expenditure to fighting spread of Covid-19 because we want the best interests of the citizens. We must ensure that public resources are not embezzled,” Mr Waigwa said.
“When we drafted the current budget, we had not anticipated that this pandemic will spread to our country. That is why we are so keen on approving this proposal by the Executive to ensure that our people are cushioned from suffering,” he added.
Committee member Mutahi Muritu said they have been perusing through the proposals drafted by the Executive before being considered by the plenary.
“This sitting is meant to go through the budget review to check how it will help in the fight against this global pandemic,” the Tigithi MCA said.
“We want to warn them (Executive) to ensure that the funds are not misappropriated. We shall be following up on the expenditure of the cash to ensure that public resources are prudently spent,” Muritu added.
The County Assembly had adjourned its sittings indefinitely on March 18 following the Corona Virus scare that has hit the country and the world.
Speaker Waigwa while adjourning the house said that the move was in response to the Presidential directive that government workers should work from home to stem the spread of the virus in the country until such a time the country will be declared free of the spread.
Waigwa added that the house was keen on ensuring that members and other staffers’ health was paramount therefore the move was necessary to safeguard on their wellbeing.
By Martin Munyi
Laikipia Assembly Resumes to Debate Coronavirus
