Do you find any sense in the continued local and foreign trips by Members of County Assembly? This was the first thing Bungoma governor Wycliffe Wafula Wangamati stopped when he resumed to power. However, some governors still find sense in the trips! One of the governors who has been allegedly funding the trips is Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja. He has however denied allegations of wanton spending on foreign trips at the expense of development.
Last week, Senator Jones Mwaruma accused the governor of spending Sh419 million on local and foreign trips, with no economic returns to show for it.
Mwaruma said the money should be used to support needy children in the county.
But in a statement sent to newsrooms on Monday, Finance and Economic planning executive Vincent Masawi said the governor only spent Sh331 million on official trips.
Expenses for trips in 2016/17 financial year was Sh397 million while those of 2017/2018 financial year was Sh331 million.
The statement read: “The total reduction in the last FY 2017/18 compared to the previous year FY 2016/17 was Sh62 million.
The trips incurred by the county government of Taita Taveta is only for important official engagements that are beneficial to the county government and the citizens at large.”