Embu MCAs get Sh40 million each for development

Elected Ward Representatives in Embu County now have Sh40 million each in their Ward Development Fund (WDF) kitty to spend on projects before the 2017 General Election.

This is after the County Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee re-appropriated unspent Sh400 million from the 2015/2016 budget and added an extra Sh415 Million, bringing the total funds for use in development projects in the 20 elective wards to Sh815 million.

Budget Vice Chairman Michael Njeru said MCAs were unable to spend the funds due to queries on the Ward Development Fund Act of 2015, raised by the controller of budget, adding that amendments to address the concerns and ensure the kitty is operational had been instituted.

He said Wards in Embu were in dire need of sustained and accelerated development initiatives to bring them to par with other regions in the country due to what he calls marginalisation by previous regimes.

Njeru, who is also the MCA for Kithimu Ward, observed that the Ward Fund would go a long way in making an impact on the lives of Embu residents as the first term of elected leaders under the devolved system of governance comes to an end.

Runyenjes Central MCA Steve Simba asserted that the WDF was the only kitty that could “quench the Embu people’s development thirst”, adding that the electorate had been given with countless promises during the 2012 campaign period but had not seen the projects being implemented.

Simba observed that people living in the far flung interiors of Embu would now get a chance to participate in the county’s development agenda by being able to propose development projects that they need prioritised.

The MCA at the same time thanked the County Executive Committee member for Finance and Economic Planning John Njagi for taking positively the formation of the WDF kitty and pushing for its implementation amidst legal hurdles that frustrated its success in the 2015/2016 Financial Year.