County assemblies yesterday opposed proposed budget regulations that would slash their spending on salaries and allowances.
The regulations were published last month by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich.
They limit the total expenditure of the county assemblies to seven per cent of the county revenues or twice the personal emoluments of MCAs.
MCAs said the rules published under the Public Finance and Management Act are part of systematic efforts to kill devolution by “emasculating” county assemblies in the budget process and oversight.
The regulations reduce the role of MCAs in budget-making by specifying they can only amend only up to one per cent of the vote contained in the governors’ budgets.
The regulations mean that in the 2016-17 financial year, allocations to county assemblies would be reduced from Sh27 billion to Sh18 billion in the current financial year.
It also means county assemblies would have no say over 93 per cent of all money allocated to the counties.
Speakers of county assemblies and assembly clerks who camped in Parliament yesterday pleaded with senators to overturn the tough regulations.
They said the rules limit the financial independence of the county assemblies.
They said the regulations violate key provisions of the statutory instrument Act because they were enacted without consulting key stakeholders.
“The regulations are deviating from the framework set by the High Court. The Senate should call the CS and compel him to amend the Act,” said Nairobi County Assembly clerk Jacob Ngwele.
