By S, KNA
Busia Governor Paul Otuoma has blamed the previous county administration for the huge pending bills amounting to about Sh5 billion that his government is struggling to clear.
Speaking during Mashujaa Day celebrations at Busende Primary School grounds in Matayos Sub-County on Monday, Otuoma said most of the debts were accumulated before his administration took office.
“I have a backdated salary debt of over Sh1.9 billion owed to county employees. This money was being channeled to functions that were not intended,” he said. “Out of our development budget of Sh2.4 billion, it will be difficult for us to pay all the pending bills. County employees are unhappy because of this situation, and these debts have accrued over the last 13 years. Suppliers are also demanding around Sh2.7 billion from the county. All these debts add up to almost Sh5 billion, yet some of those responsible are the ones leading in criticizing us,” said Otuoma.
The Governor revealed that some of the bills lack proper documentation, raising concerns about their authenticity. He said some records were destroyed in a fire, making it difficult to verify certain claims.
“I am not the one who created these debts; I inherited most of them. Some of the individuals who left us with this burden are now the same people questioning why we have not paid. As a government, we are trying to settle genuine bills, but we cannot pay claims that have not been properly assessed and verified,” he added.
Governor Otuoma said the health sector has also suffered from the effects of mismanagement by the previous regime. He noted that the frequent strikes by health workers were partly due to lack of promotions and unpaid dues spanning several years.
“For the last eight years, health workers were not promoted, and this has affected morale in the sector. My administration is now addressing this issue and ensuring that workers are promoted and paid accordingly so that we can stabilize our health system,” he said.
An agitated Otuoma also accused Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah of frustrating county development efforts through frequent court cases that delay projects.
“We have tried to establish a trailer park, but we were taken to court for allegedly charging revenue on trailers. When we tried to buy land, we were also taken to court. You cannot always take us to court without offering a solution. Provide us with an alternative on what we should do,” he said.
The Governor further criticized the Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for what he termed as “ill-intentioned” questioning during the recent Senate Mashinani sessions held in the county from October 6 to 10.
“We agreed to host Senate Mashinani in Busia, but some senators came to lecture us instead of addressing the real issues. If you start to question the governor about funds being reallocated between departments, those are matters for the departmental committee, not the Public Accounts Committee. We all know where those questions were coming from,” he stated.
Otuoma also warned county employees who are not executing their duties effectively, promising disciplinary action against non-performing officers.
“I am going to discipline those people I work with, but it will be done on principle, not based on sentiments or external pressure. We must work for our people, and where one is not able to deliver, we will replace them with those who can serve effectively,” he said.
The senators who held their sittings in Busia under the Senate Mashinani programme had faulted the county leadership for stalled projects, mounting pending bills, and alleged misappropriation of public funds.
