Senate to state. Your out of order!

Senators have accused the Executive of breaking the law by slashing funds allocated to counties this financial year.

They said it was illegal to shed at least Sh9 billion from the counties’ kitty without consulting them.

The legislators, who spoke on Monday when they began their out-of-Nairobi sittings in Eldoret, said the reduction of money due to the devolved units could not be done through the Supplementary Financial Estimates as happened last week in the National Assembly, describing the process as a gross violation of the law.

“There is a tendency by the national executive to do things that violate the law,” Mandera Senator Mohamud Mohamed said at the Uasin Gishu County Assembly.

“You can’t announce cuts to funds for counties through the National Assembly or the supplementary financial estimates,” he added.

Mr Mohamed described the procedure as illegal and unconstitutional, saying the process could only be carried out at the Senate through an amendment to the Division of Revenue Act, 2018.

However, the senator, who chairs the Budget and Finance Committee, did not say how they would respond to the cuts since the President has already approved the Supplementary Financial Estimates.

Minority Leader James Orengo called on the national and county governments to work together on issues touching on budgetary allocations.

The Senate is this week conducting its business in Eldoret against the background of attempts by an MP to recommend the scrapping of the House as part of efforts to cut the public service wage bill.