Governor Tolgos: We did not have money to attend Devolution Conference

Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos has said his county was unable to attend the recently held Devolution Conference in Kakamega due to inadequate resources.

This comes after a section of MCAs from the county assembly, led by nominated MCA Lawi Kibire, queried the county government’s failure to facilitate the conference.

Speaking in Eldoret town, governor Tolgos stated that Elgeyo Marakwet faces a lot of challenges like poor roads, hence he could not find money to pay for the conference.

“Our roads are in bad shape… I bought seeds and took to my people who were fighting instead of going to Kakamega. I would have loved to go but the money was not enough,” he said.

Tolgos further slammed the individuals asking why he did not attend the conference saying “how was I supposed to go to Kakamega without money?”

The county boss noted that there was need for the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) to review the formula on allocation of resources to counties, adding that his county receives “little money” from the national government.

“The problem we have right now is formula; the formula being used by CRA currently remits very little money to Elgeyo Marakwet,” he laments.

He also complained that since the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) decided to increase hardship allowances of the county staff from Ksh.6,000 to Ksh.13,000 in 2013, he had been reduced to a governor whose job is to “pay people and sit around.”