Meru Senator to table bill to push for county assemblies autonomy
Meru senator who is also the deputy speaker at the senate Kathuri Murungi has said he will table a bill for the County Public Finance Laws amendment Bills 2023.
He seeks to create a law to make sure that the county assemblies across the country get autonomy to get their funds directly from the controller of the budget for their ward developments.
According to Senator Kathuri, many MCAs have been facing numerous challenges as they have to go through requisition, send it to the CEC of Finance and finally get funds saying they get unnecessary delays.
He said that he would like to see the MCAs get their budgets directly without involving a long process just like the Members of Parliament get NGCDF through ex checkers.
He added that the bill will ensure the MCAs get their finance equally regardless of the rapport between the governor and the MCAs. Kathuri said the ward funds will be like the NGCDF, where the MPs get it despite their political differences with the president.
“The governor must distribute development equally in all wards, some wards in Meru are being favoured in developments at the expense of others, it’s unfair,” said Kathuri.
Adding that they are in the process to revive the County Wards Development Fund Bill which was passed by the previous senate but dropped by the parliamentarians in 2021. He said the bill will enable the county assembly to work independently and enable them to deliver to people who voted them in.
Other bills that the deputy speaker has drafted include a legislative proposal to amend the narcotic and psychotropic amendment bill 2023 to make sure that Miraa farmers are declassified from the drugs category as well as the bill to get rights enables the controller of budget to access the county revenue accounts directly.
He was speaking during the status and budget performance of the Meru County Government during the financial year 2022/2023.