Governors have been asked to look for funds to mitigate against the effects of the ongoing El-Nino rainfall from other sources instead of relying on the national government.
Deputy president Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday asked county bosses to source for funds from elsewhere, despite an earlier appeal and protests from some governors for help from the national government.
Speaking during a meeting with development partners at his office in Karen in Nairobi, DP Gachagua insisted that the national government had already done its part in assisting counties, urging governors to also do their part.
“We are shocked to see governors complaining that they are yet to receive money for El Nino from the national government. Such money is not coming. We expect them to use emergency money within their financial provision or reallocate money within their budget to intervene for the people they govern,” said Gachagua.
The statement by Gachagua follows a Tuesday remark he made in Mombasa where he accused the county bosses of hypocrisy and for solely relying on the national government for help.
The DP argued that counties also had a role to play in assisting victims of the effects of the rains, adding that the national government had already released El-Nino funds to counties.
However, the county bosses led by Abdulswamad Nassir of Mombasa and James Orengo of Siaya, dismissed the statements by Gachagua, saying that no funds had been released to counties. They instead asked the national government to expedite the process of assisting counties.
But in his statement on Wednesday, Gachagua said that county governments had the sole duty and responsibility of assisting their residents.
The DP added that the national government, if need be, will only provide funds to counties through the already established county coordination teams co-chaired by county commissioners and governors.
“We did agree that the national government would set aside funds for this intervention. We also did agree that county governments would also set aside funds for intervention,” Gachagua said.
“However there has been a misconception that some county governments have been waiting on the national government to give them money for this intervention. That is not the case.
“The national government will provide funds for intervention through the county coordination teams, the development partners and even the humanitarian agencies will do the same. And we expect the county governments to do the same,” he added.
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