COUNTY ASSEMBLY OF MARSABIT SHINES AGAIN - WHAT A CLEAN RECORD!
BY DIBA KOSI BILINGA Hsc.
It is all pomp and color as news of the County Assembly of Marsabit emerging the best in the Republic on matters of financial prudence and proper utilization of funds under their custody hit the headline.
The report by the office of the auditor General (OAG) released some days ago placed Marsabit County Assembly ahead of all other County Assemblies in Kenya.
The Assembly was given Unqualified Opinion which in professional terms means the Assembly satisfied all its financial obligations and expenditure in line with all expected financial rules and guidelines thus given a clean bill of health.
This came at a time when several counties are marred with unexplained expenditure and Governors were tasked to explain by the Senate Public Account Committee - a news that painted Counties in a negative light.
This Exemplary performance by the County Assembly of Marsabit is mainly as a result of Exceptional Leadership and dedicated staff..
Unqualified Opinion given for county Assembly of Marsabit - in a layman language means clean opinion that can further be translated as clean, clear and satisfactory financial records.
It means that financial statements present fairly in all material respects, the financial position and results of the Institution.
County Assembly of Marsabit hit the National headline even last year when they top volleyball men categories in County Assembly Sport Association Games held in Nakuru in which they brought home a trophy.
All these milestones are as results of several factors among which:- Employment of competent staff, staff motivation and good stewardship forming the cornerstone.
Currently, the Assembly is headed by the speaker Hon Edin Wario and the Secretariat wing is under the Able tutelage of one soft spoken CPA Hon Chare Mato - who himself is a refined professional of the highest repute and an expert in accounting and fiscal Management.
Departmental Co-ordination is a duty well handled by Deputy clerk and Staff Management is further cemented by a fully fledged & functional HR department headed by Director HR and Administration CHRP Jarso Roba.
Despite several challenges baffling other county Assemblies and county Executives across the republic, County Assembly of Marsabit has been the admiration and talk of every one all for the good reasons.
Like the perennial challenges around delay staff salaries which is new normal among several devolved units, this has never been the case for the Staff at county Assembly of Marsabit because their salary payment has never gone beyond the 2nd day of each month regardless of whether or not the national treasury has release the devolved funds.
Again, unlike the common practice among most devolved units where medical insurance covers are given to senior staff Only, County Assembly of Marsabit gives medical insurance cover to all its employees from the senior most all the way to the lower level support staff without any discrimination.
At the same time, the staff NHIF is fully & Timely loaded with monthly remittance thus functional at any given time.
The entire staff again enjoy mortgage funds that take care of their developmental endeavors such as buying piece of land and home building exercises.
They are also provided with car loans for those who feel like upscaling their logistics plans as a priority.
Every year, each staff member was again provided with training and capacity building opportunities for them to stay abreast with the current trends in their respective professional field.
Finally, each staff member also enjoys annual leave and off days opportunities that are processed immediately after a member puts up a request for the same.
The staff welfare department is also up and about - With members enjoying magnanimous support from colleagues both on matrimonial and other social endeavors.
The 10 o'clock office tea is not a luxury nor a privilege for the staff at County Assembly of Marsabit but a necessity that is always served timely courtesy of the assembly top Management.
These are some of the dots which have perfectly worked for the County Assembly of Marsabit and a culture which is worthy emulation by any entity whose dream is to improve its service delivery.
My shout out goes to the Clerk CPA Hon Chare Mato for steering the wheel as it should, To the PFM staff for work well done, Member of County Assembly for adhering to financial discipline and fidelity to the law and financial regulations.
Last but not the least, to the entire staff that form the secretariat for your undivided loyalty to your duty.
Long Live County Assembly of Marsabit.
Long live Marsabit County - The Cradle of Mankind.
Bilinga is Information Scientist, Gender & Peace Advocate from Upper Eastern Kenya