Sh176.3m travel costs raise queries as Taita Taveta Governor Mwadime defends spending

The county administration has come under harsh criticism over alleged extravagant spending on travel.

A report by the Controller of Budget for the financial year 2023-2024 revealed that the county executive and assembly spent hundreds of millions on domestic and foreign travel in the period under review.

The breakdown of the domestic travel expenditure presented by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o shows that the county assembly spent Sh102.5 million, while the county executive spent Sh73.8 million, bringing the total to Sh176.3 million.

The figures have raised concerns about the necessity and impact of the travel expenditure.

In August last year, two committees of the assembly travelled to Dubai for leadership classes, spending a total of Sh5.8 million.

Additionally, they visited Israel for public management training, which cost taxpayers Sh5 million, and also visited South Korea, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.

On its part, the county executive spent Sh4.1 million on trips for benchmarking and international conferences.

In August last year, Governor Andrew Mwadime and some of the county officials travelled to the United States to attend the Jumuiya trade investment, and education exchange mission organised by the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani. He also travelled to Italy in October last year to attend the Hand in Hand Initiative Investment Forum. In February this year, the governor travelled to South Africa to attend the Invest in Africa Mining Indaba Conference.

Residents are now raising concerns about the prioritisation of county spending, especially in light of numerous challenges such as unremitted staff deductions and other financial constraints.

Justifying the foreign travel expenses, Governor Mwadime said he has been looking for partners to invest in the county. He said the county receives little funds from the national government and is unable to undertake tangible development projects.

"People are saying I'm travelling a lot, but it is for the benefit of this county. We must look for partnerships because we get very little funds from the national government and the disbursements are delayed," the governor said. He said that some of his trips have borne fruit with investors showing an interest in areas such as in healthcare and water provision.

"Many projects are in the pipeline. I will not disclose them now because the deals are yet to be signed," he said.

Dr Nyakango’s report further shows that Taita Taveta and Vihiga county assemblies reported expenditures above their approved budgetary allocations, prompting her office to recommend investigations by the relevant committees.

In Taita Taveta, MCAs spent Sh40.7 million on committee sitting allowances for the 32 MCAs, surpassing the annual budget allocation of Sh40 million. According to the report, MCAs earned as average of Sh106,125 a month in allowances, with the assembly having established 23 committees. Civil society organisations have called for transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

"There is need for fiscal discipline in the Finance and Economic Planning Department," said Mr Abedi Malusha, the chairperson of the Taita Taveta Civil Society Organisations Movement.

Ms Isabella Kidede, an activist, questioned the importance and impact of expensive trips and expressed her concerns about the county's development priorities.

 "Our development spending is at 18 percent and most of the money comes from donors. The county's priorities are upside down," she said. Ms Kidede questioned the rationale of using 53 percent of funds on wages and salaries, exceeding the recommended 35 percent.

She further raised concerns about the disbursement of donor funds, with only about Sh600 million out of the Sh1.57 billion received.

"This is a decrease from the Sh833 million disbursed in the previous year. Is the county adhering to the conditions set by the donors?" She posed.

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