Taita Taveta County Assembly members have caused an uproar after allocating Ksh 23 million for domestic and international travel in their first supplemental budget for 2022-2023.
This follows the locals’ outrage over a one-week tour to Zanzibar that excluded 11 legislators.
According to the supplemental budget approved by the MCAS on Wednesday, a minimum of Ksh 5 million is expected to be set aside for air, bus, and train tickets.
Accommodation, as well as the daily subsistence allowance, will cost Ksh 7 million.
Ksh 400 million in development equalization funds and scholarships has been distributed to each of the 20 electoral wards. The funds will be divided equally among the wards.
Governor Andrew Mwadime’s and his deputy Christine Kilalo’s offices have been given Ksh 50 million for vehicle purchases.
The annual statements have been increased from Ksh 7 billion to Ksh 7.1 billion in the supplementary estimates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
County Assembly Speaker Wisdom Mwamburi, Assembly Clerk Gadiel Maghanga, and Majority Leader Antony Warige were among the 27 assembly staff members who traveled to the famed Zanzibar archipelago for what they called a “benchmarking and bonding retreat,” along with at least 21 MCAs out of 32.
Given the fact that many Kenyans are on the verge of starvation, some House members have argued that the contentious trip was a waste of time and resources.
On the other hand, the House leadership claimed that the trip had been approved by both the Ministry of Devolution and the liaison committee.
