The Busia chapter Civil Society Organisations(CSO) Network has expressed fears on what it terms lack of accountability and transparency in dispensing flloca projects across the county.
The human watch groups are now accusing the Busia county government leadership manning the world Bank funded flloca projects, saying the finance managers are keeping financial matters of the projects close to their chests, reminding the that this public money and its details should as well be public.
Speaking during a sensitization meeting for Busia CSOs network organised by Flloca national steering Committee office at the Community Empowerment and Development Centre in Busia county, the network members reiterated their dissatisfaction in the manner flloca funds are being utilised to beat the logic of value for money.
“We are here today in Busia to train and equip CSOs in busia with knowledge and understanding of flloca funding” remarked Robert Banda, a member of flloca national steering Committee.
Banda disclosed that in some areas, county governments have diverted flloca funds into different projects outside flloca framework. “We are privy to the fact that county leadership divert flloca funds to projects not aligned to flloca framework and that is why we are carrying out financial Social Audit against the projects initiated” said Banda.
According to documents seen by our reporter, busia county received Kshs. 219m Climate change Resilient fund during 2023/2024 financial year, and it is between this financial period that the Auditor General has raised an audit query on procurement and other axpenditure preceedures.
Dr Bonface Erute is the member of County Assembly of busia representing AmukuraWest ward and has confirmed busia press club reporter that indeed there is an audit querry which require answers.
He has however assured Civil Society Organisations of investigating the matter for further action.
Addressing the press after the day one sessions, the CSOs led by their busia representative at the national steering Committee Paulin Saris said there is no value for money in the flloca funded projects in the border county of busia. “Yes, a total of 23 projects have been initiated in busia, some completed, some ongoing but we are not satisfied with the monetary value for the projects” disclosed Saris. She at the same time noted that access to information on flloca funded projects from the county leadership is not easy as it should.
Francis Namuju, Director Community Empowerment and Development Centre registered his disappointment in the manner projects are allocated. He disclosed that out of ongoing projects, budalangi subcounty was allocated Nil. “Allocation of flloca projects in Busia are schewed towards one region guided by political machinations and putting principle of equity in limbo. “noted Namuju.
He pointed out that local committees at the grassroot level lack the knowledge and technical requisite to steer flloca projects to higher levels, sentiment echoed by a representative of people living with dissabilty who cast doubt on the Competence of the grassroot committees to discharge their mandate satisfactorily according to guidelines of flloca. She called on the county government of busia to be transparent, capacity build the locals on matters of loca. “The grassroot people who are the primary beneficiaries of flloca projects have no knowledge of what flocca is and which projects are funded by flloca” she claimed.