YVONNES TAKE: Thank you, Controller of Budget, for stopping lavish swearing-in ceremonies

YVONNES TAKE: Thank you, Controller of Budget, for stopping lavish swearing-in ceremonies

Tonight, I'd like to say thank you. Thank you to Margaret Nyakang'o. Margaret is the Controller of Budget in Kenya. And a few days ago, she quickly put some brakes on what could have been an excessively lavish start to the new county governments.

You see, we heard of budgets ranging from Ksh.17 million to Ksh.22 million and I wondered what all these millions would be used for. I know that event planners can spend millions of shillings on events. But this one event is different.

You see, the law on Assumption of Office for Governors clearly spells out the procedure for the transition from one county government to another through a swearing in process. Whilst it is an elaborate process, it was by no means designed to be an expensive one. There is an Assumption of Office Committee and its members are drawn from various national and county government departments. Such as the County Secretary, County Commissioner, county officials in charge of various departments, County Assembly Clerk amongst others. All of whom already draw a salary.

Even security, which is often a big cost component of events, is provided by the National Police Service. The head of the National Police Service in the county is required by law to provide security during the conduct of the swearing-in ceremony. In fact, the oath itself is administered by the judges and magistrates, who are themselves remunerated by their employer, the Judiciary.

So, pray tell, what would the millions of shillings be for?

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be a party pooper. A celebration is not bad at all; it is in fact well deserved for any election victory which is often hard won. And a moment of peaceful transition is one that must be celebrated. Besides, life is too short to be too constrained. But tell me, why would a county ask for Ksh.22 million for a less than 4-hour ceremony? One whose most important aspect is the solemn act of taking the oath of office; which in itself shouldn't cost millions of shillings.

I know some counties invited hundreds of guests, up to 600 in some cases. That's fine, let the people of the counties celebrate. But surely this celebration must be tempered with reality. It's like the people who have lavish weddings worth millions but start the marriage in debt. You see, most counties have yet to receive any allocations since the start of the financial year. Most are drowning in millions, even billions of unpaid bills to many business people who supplied goods and services and have had to chase what is owed to them for months, even years. Imagine their thoughts now when they see those millions splashed on such a ceremony.

That is why tonight, I thank the Controller of Budget for putting her foot down and saying No. Thank you, Margaret, for keeping everyone's feet on the ground and seeing through power and largesse. I thank her for saying No to needless expenses. Kanyagia hapo hapo, madam. Some of these Governors spent hundreds of millions of shillings to campaign for those positions whose monthly remuneration is just above a million shillings. So you can obviously see the motivation for some in getting into these positions. What would be the return on investment for a position that cost you let's say Ksh.300 million or more? For a position that will earn Ksh.60 million over the 5-year period, your guess is as good as mine!

Some of them will handle as much as Ksh.19 billion for Nairobi in shareable revenue, with the lowest like Lamu getting Ksh.3.1 billion. We have not even spoken about the revenue they will collect on site. It is obvious, some of these Governors who have served 2 terms are the newest billionaires in town. It doesn't take rocket science to know where they got this money from. Some of the flats, big homes, malls, in upmarket estates were bought using resources that were earmarked to equip our hospitals, build roads, revamp agriculture, build ECD classrooms. This is where the Controller of Budget must put her eye.

Counties will get Ksh.401 billion this financial year. Now, the Controller of Budget must with the same vigour that she reined on the parties for Governors swearing in, she must ensure every penny is utilised as required. It's a good start to accountability and hopefully sets the pace for all of us to continue to saying No to the extravagance and to continue to keep the county governments accountable. Because in this country, we pay more for egos than actual needs.

You will recall that in 2010 when the framing of the Constitution was going on, there was a huge debate on whether the head of a county should be called a Governor. There was even a debate on whether they should be called ‘Your Excellency.’ So the Governor is a title that came with a lot of costs. But the move today was a step in the right direction. Long may it continue.

That’s my take.

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Governors Margaret Nyakang'o Controller of Budget Swearing-in

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