The Controller of Budget Dr Margeret Nyankang’o has stopped the implementation of Ksh4.5 billion car grant to MCAs and County Assembly Speakers as had been directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This was a token of appreciation for their would-be support for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) proposals to amend the Constitution.
The Controller of Budget in a letter to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) said that there is no legal provision in the Constitution that allows such a directive to be implemented.
She added that some of the counties have no money to make the payments. Dr Nyakang’o said that some counties has only budget for a car loan facility and not car grants.
Others merged mortgage and car loans into one fund which would make it difficult to implement Uhuru’s directive.
On the existing car loan facility, some MCAs and speakers were yet to access the funds to buy these cars while in other cases, they took loan and have partially repaid it.
She added that in counties where the car loan and mortgage loans were established as one fund, it is difficult to implement the car grant directive.
Uhuru has envisaged that giving into demands by MCAs would soften their stand on BBI. Once passed in the county assemblies, this hurdle would have been dealt with.
Already, 11 county assemblies have approved the BBI proposal. It only requires a majority of 24 county assemblies for it to move to the next stage.
This directive irked Kenyans who termed it insensitive.
They said that it was wrong for the country’s leadership to shift attention to BBI while the economy of the country is on its knees.