Nairobi County Assembly Speaker, Kennedy Ngondi, has called on Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to attend Assembly sittings promptly while expediting the payment of their pending allowances.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with the MCAs and Assembly Clerk, Edward Gichana, Ngondi explained that they are expecting the Controller of Budget to release the payments to the executive within the next three weeks.
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Currently, there is a pending bill of approximately 60 million shillings, encompassing the outstanding allowances for both the Assembly staff and the MCAs.
Ngondi expressed understanding of the challenges faced in providing timely facilitation, attributing the delays to the financial constraints witnessed across the country.
He assured that the bills would be settled as they have received assurances from the COB. The money is expected to be accessible after the budget is published and uploaded, which is estimated to occur within the next three to four weeks.
“It is not our fault that we are not able to facilitate members in goodtime. We are faced with challenges of what is happening across the country because there is no money to honor their services in good time. The bills will be paid as we have got assurance from the COB that after the publishing of the budget and uploading, then we will be able to access the money. That will be in a record of three-four weeks,” Ngondi stated.
Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ngondi and Assembly Clerk Edward Gichana as the speaker’s Office
The Speaker’s address came as a response to the MCAs’ absence during the Tuesday Plenary sitting. The MCAs demanded an explanation for the accruing allowances without any communication.
During the Tuesday afternoon incident, the MCAs were heard vocally opposing attendance until the pending bill was cleared.
In response to allegations that some members were receiving allowances while others were not, the Speaker refuted the claims and clarified that the executive is responsible for developing the work plan for payments. He mentioned that no payments have been made since the conclusion of the last financial year.
Ngondi emphasized that the Assembly relies on funds from the executive and, therefore, cannot independently decide which work plans to approve. He regarded the issue of unequal payment of allowances as political in nature.
Furthermore, he warned that disciplinary actions will be taken against those MCAs who fail to attend sittings, as mandated by the law, and such absences may result in their seats being declared vacant.
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