Isiolo: Speaker Roba Raises Questions as County Passes KSh 7.3b Budget Without Assembly Sitting
- Isiolo County Assembly Speaker Mohamed Roba wrote a letter to the Controller of Budget regarding the passage of KSh 7.3 billion budget
- Roba explained why Governor Abdi Guyo and Abdullahi Jaldessa Banticha had allegedly conspired to pass the budget
- The Isiolo County Assembly speaker further raised questions on the action taken by the government printer
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over four years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Isiolo - Governor Abdi Guyo has been accused of bulldozing the passage of an alleged illegal budget weeks after he survived an impeachment motion.
Source: Facebook
In a letter to the Controller of Budget, Speaker Mohamed Roba claimed Abdullahi Jaldessa Banticha had presided over an illegal sitting to pass a KSh 7,354,768,369 Appropriation Bill.
Are the issues raised by Mohamed Roba?
In his letter, Roba cautioned the Controller of Budget against approving the budget presented by Guyo's team, arguing that the legal budget-making process was not adhered to.
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"We write to bring to your urgent attention a matter of grave concerns regarding the integrity of the budget process in Isiolo County. It has come to our attention that Abdullahi Jaldessa Banticha is masquerading as the speaker of the County Assembly of Isiolo and attempting to unlawfully preside over the county budget process for FY 2025/2026.
"For clarity, Banticha is not and has never been, the duly elected speaker of the County Assembly of Isiolo. His actions constitute fraudulent impersonation of a public office and are in complete violation of the constitution," Roba said.
Did the Government Printer gazette KSh 7.3b Isiolo budget?
Despite Roba's protest, the government printer went ahead and published the disputed KSh 7.3 billion budget.
Roba wondered why the budget could be gazetted, yet he provided evidence to indicate that no assembly sitting took place to approve the budget in question.
"In a brazen attempt to circumvent the constitution and any existing laws, the governor of Isiolo, in collaboration with a rogue clerk have “passed” budget for 2025/26 without a single sitting of the assembly. The government printer goes ahead and publishes a fraudulent budget! This is after I, as the speaker, sent a warning of their fraudulent scheme. Are we in a banana republic?" the speaker posed.
On Tuesday, July 29, the assembly asked the Controller of Budget to halt any fund disbursement until due process is followed.
"The Assembly has since called for its suspension or revocation, urging the EACC, the Auditor-General, and the Senate to investigate the matter. Additionally, the Controller of Budget has been asked to halt any fund disbursement until due process is followed," the assembly said in a statement.
Source: Facebook
Has Abdi Guyo reconciled with MCAs?
The latest wrangles come a few weeks after Guyo initiated efforts to reconcile with MCAs who impeached him.
On Saturday, July 12, Guyo held a consultative meeting with seven out of 16 ward representatives who ousted him over alleged abuse of office.
Some of the MCAs that Guyo met are allied to embattled speaker Roba, who was once a close ally of the governor.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
