Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has denied reports from the office of the controller of budget indicating that the county government used Ksh 1 billion on foreign trips.
Mwangaza called on the budget controller, Margaret Nyakang'o, to move with speed and set the records straight.
This comes days after the budget controller released a Consolidated County Budget Implementation Review Report for the first nine months of the financial year 2023/2024.
The Meru boss claims the actual report from the county government indicates the county assembly's expenditure on foreign trips amounted to Ksh 42.84 million. Of the amount her office only spent Ksh 910,000.
An overview of the final year 2023/2024 of the Meru County government for the past nine months indicated that the county raised close to 10 Billion as an equitable share of revenue.
The key sources of revenue as indicated from the reports of the controller of budget included ordinary own-source revenue, ordinary appropriation in Aid (A-I-A), and facility improvement fund (FIF).
In the financial year 2022/2023, Meru County was ranked as one of the best-performing counties, the county had an unspent balance of Ksh 31 million.
In the financial year 2023/2024 however, the County Assembly members spent Ksh 8.5 million on car loans and housing scheme funds.
In the office of the governor, Ksh 19 million was used for communication purposes, Ksh 62 million on 'headquarters', and Ksh 12 million on Special Programs including fire rescue and emergency services.
Some of the development projects with the highest expenditure included health services which had a total of Ksh 113 million spending, and Water, Irrigation, Environment, and Natural Resources consuming 60 million.
This comes even as the county government of Meru is yet to pass its 2024/2025 budget as a standoff between the county assembly and the county executive had stalled the budget for close to two months.
The county assembly is expected to pass the budget estimates and the appropriation bill amid a protracted battle with the county executive over key priority areas of huge budget allocations.
