Kajiado Governor Joseph Lenku has dismissed reports by the Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo that his government has not adequately utilized funds allocated to it for development during the Final Year 2017/18.
The Controller of Budget report covering the period between July and September 2018 lists Kajiado among 24 counties whose development expenditure fell below the 30 per cent threshold in the first three months of this financial year.
According to the report, development expenditure amounted to only Sh 3.51 billion, which represents an absorption rate of 2 per cent, which is an increase from 0.9 per cent attained in the first quarter of FY 2017/18 where total development expenditure was Sh 1.15 billion.
Ole Lenku, accused the Controller of Budget of “misguiding” Kenyans in their report he claims does not reflect what has actually been done on the ground.
“We were in the process of receiving the 2018/2019 allocation from the National Treasury in the period the Controller of Budget purports to have carried out their research. We had inherited a huge bill from the previous regime in development money and payments to contractors,” said Lenku.
The governor said between September and December of that subject year, he spent Sh 514 million on mega projects that are now on-going such as the construction of food markets across the county and roads.
He said the county had never spent such an amount within such a period since the start of devolution.
“My Government has, on the contrary, exhausted the current allocations in the development budget, and that is why you can see a lot of infrastructural development in most parts of the county” explained Lenku.
He noted that funds had been usurped in development projects ranging from rehabilitation of infrastructure in schools and hospitals as well as road networks and water projects within the county.
At the same time, the governor admitted that he was aware that a section of contractors and suppliers in those development projects were yet to be paid.
He, however, assured the residents that the erratic cash flow from the National Treasury to the county will soon be rectified and all the payments will be made in due course.
Other counties that incurred zero expenditure according to the report include: Baringo, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo , Kericho, Kisii, Kisumu, Lamu, Machakos, Makueni, Mandera, Marsabit, Meru, Mombasa, Nyandarua, Samburu, Siaya, Tan River, Trans-Nzoia, Turkana, Uasin Gishu, Wajir and West Pokot.
By Rop Janet
