Revenue stalemate causes delay for county staff salaries

County governments will be unable to pay workers’ salaries for July in time as they grapple with a financial crunch that has disrupted key operations.

Council of Governors (CoG) Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said the Division of Revenue Bill 2019 stalemate has pushed county governments to the edge, making it difficult to pay workers on time.

Mr Oparanya, the Kakamega governor, asked staff in county governments to be patient as the matter is being addressed.

He said county governments are looking for other alternative ways to raise money and ensure their workers are paid without further delay.

“In Kakamega, we have consistently been paying our workers as early as the 22nd day of each month but this time around it is impossible. Our workers will have to wait until after probably the 6th of August before they can receive the salaries,” said Mr Oparanya.

Speaking in Kakamega on Tuesday, Mr Oparanya said the delayed release of funds to county governments by the National Treasury is impacting negatively on development projects.

CoG has filed a case at the Supreme Court regarding the division of revenue.

While granting both Speakers of the National Assembly and the Senate two weeks to file a report on the status of the legislation of the Division of Revenue Bill, the apex court said the matter revolves around separation of powers.

And for the third time, the Supreme Court gave the two Houses more time to hold talks and hopefully get into an agreement on the way forward for the Division of Revenue Bill which relates to funding for counties.

Governor Oparanya said county governments are unable to pay for drugs in hospitals and other key services due to the current stalemate.

“This is issue of how much money counties are supposed to be allocated by the national government has persisted since devolution came into being in 2013 and we want it settled once and for all,” said the governor on Tuesday.