Publication date: April 27, 2024 11:13 (EAT)
Past speeches by Embu County Deputy Chairman Ibrahim Swale.Photo | Provided
Embu County Deputy Chairman Ibrahim Swale, who is also Kirimari Ward MCA, has addressed the public’s claims that Embu County councilors are misappropriating public funds, resulting in cuts in capitation and subsidy for school children. Rejected.
Speaking at the Kangal Vocational Training Center, Swale said councilors are coordinating public resources with the budget provided by the county executive.
“Our role as county councilors is to align resources with the budget, not to change budget line items. The executive committee is responsible for creating the budget,” Swale said.
Swale clarified that contrary to that claim, the MCA is advocating for an increase in development funds.
He noted that MCAs participate in policy decisions related to budget formulation, including proposing budget amendments to address emerging needs and priorities.
“The current draft budget for primary school head payments is Sh8,500. When we bring this to Parliament, we will be the ones to advocate for an increase. For example, you have brought in a scholarship allocation of Sh50 million. , we claim that the increase amounted to Sh100 million,” he explained.
Mr Swale suggested that the reduction in public funds in Embu County could be due to the current county government repaying debts inherited from the previous government.
“We inherited a county with a deficit of Ksh2.2 billion. In last year’s budget, Embu County Government was able to repay Ksh580 million, so we as a county had to pay back a large amount of Ksh580 million. We are incurring losses,” he explained. .
“If you look at the repayment amount of Sh580 million, that is a lot of money that could have been spent on grassroots projects, but the county continued to pay the debt incurred by the previous administration,” Swale pointed out.
He also asked for patience from residents, stressing the importance of clearing all outstanding debts before embarking on further development projects as the county government works to stabilize the local economy.
The Vice-Chairman also urged leaders to utilize their meager resources for the benefit of residents and fund lavish lifestyles.
