MCA’s Spent Over Ksh.6 Billion On Trips In Half Financial Year

Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) spent 6.58 billion shillings on foreign and domestic trips in the first half of the fiscal year according to the Controller of Budget.

The expenditure of 6.58 billion shillings by MCAs according to official data is the highest so far in similar periods since the start of devolution.

The Controller of Budget report for the first half of the year reveals that this was a one percent rise from 6.51 billion shillings spent in a similar period in the half financial year 2018/19.

The spending on travel by MCAs in the first half of a fiscal year has now grown by nearly thrice from 2.8 billion shillings in 2013 to 6.58 billion shillings.

The travel expenditure by MCA’s would be controlled but the High Court scrapped a decision by Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s (SRC) to reduce State officers’ benefits.

The Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o has noted that unnecessary expenditure and the breach of sitting allowances has been derailing service delivery to citizens in County-levels.

“The office recommends that county governments should ensure expenditure on personnel emoluments is contained at sustainable levels and in compliance with Regulation 25 (1) (b) of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015,” Dr. Nyakang’o notes in the report.

MCA’s are known to engage in foreign trips in the name of benchmarking which has cost the taxpayers 943.42 million shillings in the half fiscal year an increase of 14 percent from 826.42 million shillings.

The expense of 6.58 billion shillings on travel by MCA’s is more than a quarter of the 15.33 billion shillings they raised in their own revenues like parking fees, rates, and business permits in the first half of the year.

Kajiado County has already reallocated 25 million shillings from the travel kitty of MCAs and the executive that is now being used to set up six modern isolation units in all sub-county hospitals in Kajiado to help with the fight against COVID-19 revealing just how badly the perks were hindering development.

The MCA’s and all government officials will gladly not be in a position to travel for a long while as the World grounds flights to combat the spread of COVID-19.

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