Meru County Deputy Governor and Minister for Finance Hon. Titus Ntuchiu has rubbished claims that the County has a deficit in absorption of the funds disbursed from the National Treasury. The DG said that as the authority in the County Finance docket and expenditure, he is fully aware that all the funds sent to the County Government of Meru from the National Government are fully spent in delivering development projects, improvement of services and promotion of good governance to Meru residents.

He sought to respond to the allegations by Meru Senator Mithika Linturi that Meru County Government has low funds absorption, at 25%.

The DG said that this year alone the County Government has paid out about Sh1 billion to contractors for various development projects, over Sh300 million paid out for drugs and supplies for health facilities, issued bursaries worth Sh104 million and an additional Sh36 million will be released in the next two weeks. He added that the County Government has already financed construction of 44 ECDE classes in the whole County, each at a cost of Sh750,000 as opposed to the previous cost of Sh1.25 million per classroom in the former regime. Hon. Ntunchiu also said that in the coming weeks, the Government will issue additional Sh73.8 million for construction of further 90 ECDE classes across the County.

"The claims that the County Government has not been able to absorb the budget have been fueled by the fact that, in this Government, we have refused to pay incomplete projects or shoddily done work. All contractors who have done their work to the required standards have been paid, and even this week we are paying out contractors. But we want to assure our people that no money allocated for our County budget has ever been or will be returned to the National Treasury," said the Deputy Governor.

Hon. Ntunchiu further noted that Governor Kiraitu Murungi and his Government will not be detracted by political noise being propagated by hopefuls who wish to win political capital for 2022.

He was speaking at Mikinduri School grounds when he accompanied Governor Kiraitu Murungi during the issuance of bursaries for students across the County in the 2018/19 financial year. The event was also attended by 25 MCAs, CEC members, Chief Officers and other County Government officials.
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