The controller of the budget report has exposed members of the county assemblies and their extravagance on foreign and domestic travel. 

The report for the first quarter of the 2023-2024 financial year revealed that MCAs gobbled billions of shillings in travel allowances in just three months. 

In the said period MCAs have spent more than Ksh.3 billion either on the road or on the skies during foreign trips.

The controller of budget Dr. Margaret Nyakango has now raised a red flag seeking a stop to what she has termed as unnecessary foreign and local travel.

The report has put on the spot MCAs in the capital Nairobi for the highest appetite in local travel spending Ksh.94 million in just three months translating to Ksh.31 million every month on local travel alone.

The Nairobi County MCAs have also flushed Ksh.8.9 million on the skies on foreign travel in just three months with the controller of budget noting that the foreign trips were never approved.

MCAs in Migori County are also an extravagant lot according to the report. In three months the lawmakers spent Ksh.81 million on local travel while another Ksh.2.7 million was spent in Tanzania, Uganda and Norway.

The coastal county of Mombasa has not been left behind. Its MCAs spend more on foreign trips than on local travel. The MCAs pocketed Ksh.17 million for their stay in high-end destinations like Singapore, Turkey, Dubai and Switzerland.

Narok County MCAs are also notorious local travellers. The controller of the budget report indicates that the MCAs scooped Ksh.45.5 million for local travel within three months alone. The MCAs however did not travel abroad within that period. 

Marsabit County MCAs also did not travel abroad during the same period but spent millions on local travel.

In Nyamira County Assembly, MCAs spent a total of Ksh.32 million on travel while Nakuru County MCAs other than a Ksh.40.9 million perk on local travel, also gobbled Ksh.9.7 million in Arusha Tanzania, Kampala Uganda and Indiana United States of America.

“What we know is all foreign travels are cleared by the devolution ministry and department...no MCA can travel without a clearance from that office,” said Nyamira Speaker.

The controller of the budget now wants all county assemblies to first seek foreign travel clearance before embarking on the trips to save taxpayers billions of shillings.