New Study Reveals Counties With Highest Paid Members of County Assemblies (MCAs)

A study conducted by the Controller of Budget in the first quarter of the 2016/17 financial year has put four counties on the spot for paying Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) high sitting allowances contrary to what has been proposed by the Government.

The Controller of Budget listed four counties as notorious for paying high sitting allowances that exceed the Sh124,000 set by the Government. The counties featured in the report for high payments are, Trans-Nzoia, SiayaHoma-Bay and Busia.

According to the report, an MCA in Tranz-Nzoia county earned Sh171,400 in monthly sitting allowance while in Homa Bay, they received Sh159,117. In Busia, MCAs were paid Sh135,899 and in Siaya, Sh129,437.

The report listed Vihiga, Mandera, Kajiado, Isiolo and Nairobi as counties with the least paid MCAs in the country. An MCA in Vihiga was paid a sitting allowance Sh24,798, Mandera Sh27,557, Kajiado Sh43,560, Isiolo Sh45,675 and Nairobi Sh64,408.

In the report, Nairobi County had the biggest expenditure on travel at Sh135 Million followed by Machakos and Bungoma counties with Sh113 Million and Sh103 Million respectively.

Laikipia, Garissa and Mombasa counties were ranked as the least spending counties with expenditures of Sh17.45 Million, Sh11 Million and Sh2 Million respectively.

The Controller of Budget (CoB), Agnes Odhiambo, stated that County Assemblies had spent Sh638 Million on MCAs' sitting allowances against an approved budget of Sh3.34 billion. The amount represented an increase to 19.1 per cent from the 17.4 per cent in the first quarter of the 2016/17.