By Joseph checky Abuje
The Busia Chapter Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Network has expressed fears on what it terms as lack of accountability and transparency in dispensing the FLLoCA project funds 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. They called on the leadership of these funds to ensure transparency noting that this is public money and its details should as well be public.
Speaking during a one week sensitization forum 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 Africa ScienceNews, 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 expenditure procedures.
Dr Bonface Erute is the member of County Assembly of Busia representing Amukura West ward and has confirmed that indeed there is an audit query which require answers.
He has, however, assured Civil Society Organisations of investigating the matter for further action.
Addressing the press after 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 the county, 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 project, raising suspicion in distribution of the projects for respective regions.
“Allocation of FLLoCA projects in Busia are skewed towards one region guided by political machinations and putting principle of equity in limbo,” noted Namuju.
Namuju wondered why Budalangi region was skipped in project allocation whereas it is the most hit area with climate change phenomenon.
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 disability 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 FLLoCA. “The grassroot people who are the primary beneficiaries of FLLoCA projects have no knowledge or idea of what FLLoCA is and which projects are funded by FLLoCA,” she claimed.
Financing locally led climate change activities is an idea whose priority is to mitigate against impacts of climate change at the grassroot level, but in Busia there is more than meet the eye as so far as FLLoCA initiative is concerned and now the Civil Society Organisations in Busia are calling for transparency and collaborative approach to ensure success of these funds.