Bungoma governor Ken Lusaka has welcomed austerity measures in county government budgets and urged MCAs to support the plan for the purposes of development.
The measures, which are being championed by the national government, will see reduced meetings at the county levels by County Executive Committees and MCAs apart from minimal trips out of the country for bench marking.
Lusaka who was speaking on Sunday at Gusii Stadium said the measures will promote development and act as a stepping stone towards strengthening the devolved units.
“We all know that devolution is at its infantry stages and perhaps it’s now that we are learning. I would like to challenge county governments to ensure they reduce meetings among the executives and also in the County Assemblies. We ought to set good precedence and ensure more funds are directed towards development,” he said.
He urged MCAs to embrace the proposals and be the ambassadors of championing for development at the grassroots.
“The major problem we face as governors is increasing pressure from the assemblies. We cut the budget, they come with impeachment threats. I want to urge them to support the austerity measures to reduce unnecessary expenses and other minor budgetary allocations for the sake of diverting resources to development projects,” he said.
Lusaka also challenged the government to lead by example by setting precedence so that it could also be emulated by Parliament and even the judiciary.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday last week warned governors to prepare for tough times ahead even as they agreed to slash by half the money they have budgeted to spend on travel and allowances for State and public officials.