Governors have convened an emergency council meeting this Friday to discuss a range of issues, including budget cuts totaling approximately Ksh 25 billion.
The county bosses will demand answers from the Treasury after submitting schedules that show significant cuts to donor-funded projects.
One of the key demands from the governors is that the Senate rejects the budget cuts and provides an explanation for the reductions.
According to Council of Governors (CoG) chair and Wajir Governor, Ahmed Abdullahi, the only agreement between CoG and MPs was on the exclusion of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which is currently subject to an ongoing court case.
Governors argue that counties have as much right to access the RMLF, as they are responsible for constructing roads, and it is the same fuel levy that funds the RMLF. A showdown is now looming, with the executive stepping in to cool tensions.
Governor Abdullahi further stated that MPs had completely removed any allocation to the RMLF, and in the third schedule, they reduced the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP) grant funds from Ksh 10.4 billion to Ksh 1.7 billion.
Additionally, the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) grant has been reduced from Ksh 4.9 billion to Ksh 2.586 billion.
Other donor-funded projects that have also faced significant cuts are:
- FSRP grant: Reduced from Ksh 2.25 billion to Ksh 905 million
- NAVCDP: Reduced from Ksh 5 billion to Ksh 1.7 billion
- WSDP grant: Reduced from Ksh 5.7 billion to Ksh 3.43 billion
- KDSP II grant: Reduced from Ksh 1.76 billion to Ksh 1.48 billion
- KUSP II: Reduced from Ksh 7.6 billion to Ksh 1.668 billion
- KABDP: Reduced from Ksh 513 million to Ksh 42 million
The Friday meeting is expected to take a unified stand, as some of the matters have already been discussed at the highest decision-making organ—the summit.
