By Betty Luke
Isiolo Governor Mohamed Kuti’s hope to have Supplementary budget I of Sh5.2 billion for fiscal year 2021/22 passed by the County Assembly hit a snag after MCAs boycotted a special sitting to deliberate it together with a report on the County Fiscal Strategy Paper.
Speaker Hussein Roba and the Assembly orderlies were shocked when the 17 ward representatives failed to show up for the morning and afternoon sessions.
The simmering row between the Governor and the MCAs emanated from pressure to have them hurriedly pass the document without adequately scrutinizing it.
As of Tuesday morning, thepresspoint.com is reliably informed that the County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee had not finished looking into the document and therefore a report could not be prepared in hurry.
One of the MCAs told thepresspoint.com that they chose to stand their ground after being coerced to rush the process of passing the budget which they want amended to ensure residents needs are adequately captured.
Also being contested by the MCAs, we can confidently confirm, is unfair allocation of money for paying pending bills with the lawmakers concerned that those that had accrued during Governor Kuti’s ongoing tenure had reportedly not been captured.
“How do we allow old bills to be paid when the current ones are not factored?” the MCA said adding that for revival of the economy, businesses must be paid for services offered and not delaying the payment as that continued to subject them to suffering.
It is said that the gazette notice of the special sitting dated May 5, 2021 was done without prior consultations.
Will the County Assembly gazette another day for special sitting to look into the report? And how soon will the MCAs agree to present it to the House for consideration?
Don’t miss our next edition on the ever breaking bromance between Kuti and MCAs and what it means for his re-election bid.
