Governors and Cabinet Secretaries were among those who skipped a meeting scheduled by Deputy President William Ruto on Thursday, July 23, 2020.
The Public Finance Management Act of 2012 made the DP chairperson of the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) which his Chief of Staff Ken Osinde had arranged virtually.
This is the fifth time the meeting has been cancelled at the eleventh hour.
Governors are said to have skipped the meeting over the failure of Parliament to agree on the contentious revenue sharing formula.
The standoff at the Senate has starved counties of revenue from the national government despite President Kenyatta making it a priority.
He had reprimanded the Senate leadership in a meeting at State House where he assented to six bills on Thursday, July 9.
However, the disagreements between senators continued for days until the Senate was adjourned on Thursday July 23.
Other sources suggested that the boycott was caused by the strained relationship between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy.
Other government officials who constitute the IBEC include the Controller of Budget, chairperson of Commission on Revenue Allocation, Auditor General as well as representatives of Parliament and Judiciary.
The differences between the head of state and his assistant has manifested in other arms of the government, creating divisions even in Parliament.
Senior public servants have been giving the DP’s functions a wide berth.
Many do not wish to be associated with him for fear that overzealous Harambee House operatives may target them for disciplinary action as a result.
