Nairobi — The Council of Governors has told off Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on El Nino preparedness and mitigation, saying no funds have been sent to counties.
The Council said contrary to the DP's statement, county governments have not received any financial allocation from the National Government to support mitigation efforts for the impending El Nino rains that have displaced over 80,000 and killed more than 50 people as a result of floods.
"We note with concern public utterances that suggest that
County Governments have received funds from the National Government to
support the mitigation of the devastating impact of the El Nino Rains," CoG Chairperson Anne Waiguru said.
Gachagua had said counties received funds for mitigation of El Nino, saying they need to utilize them well to save lives.
Earlier this year, the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) predicted that the country would experience heavy rainfall with ongoing flood-related risks until January 2024, but this was soon changed by the national government causing major confusion.
Waiguru said Wednesday that counties are owed a substantial total of Sh62.58 billion from the equitable share, which has not been disbursed as follows:
"13 counties are owed Kshs. 10.17 Billion for the month of September," she said, "27 counties are owed Kshs. 19.64 Billion for the month of October."
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For the month of November, she said all counties are owed Sh32.76 Billion, putting a major strain on counties that are expected to mitigate drought effects.
The Council expressed deep concern over public statements that falsely suggested county governments had already received funds from the National Government to address the devastating impact of El Nino rains.
Such statements were deemed contrary to the principles of cooperative and collaborative governance enshrined in Article 6(2) of the Constitution.
In light of the impending weather challenges and existing humanitarian crises, the Council of Governors called upon both levels of government to unite and enhance response strategies to mitigate the complex risks posed by heavy rains and flooding instead of resorting to blame games.
The dispute arose following statements made by the Deputy President, who had earlier assured the public that adequate funds had been disbursed to county governments to facilitate the preparedness and mitigation of El Nino-related disasters.
These assertions, however, were met with incredulity from the Council of Governors, which maintains that no such allocations have been made to date.
The Council of Governors, an organization representing the 47 county governments of Kenya, issued a stern rebuke of the Deputy President's statements, emphasizing the dire need for financial support to prepare for the anticipated El Nino rains.
