Tharaka Nithi County government has employed the services of modern technology to enhance its own revenue collection, leading it to be among the fastest-growing counties in the country.
Speaking during the State of the County address delivered at the County Assembly Chambers in Kathwana, Governor Muthomi Njuki disclosed that automation in revenue collection has increased own revenue from Sh77 million when he took office in the 2016–2017 financial year to over Sh286 million in the last financial year.
“Through the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), the government implemented automated revenue collection, the installation of CCTVs, and concerted enforcement efforts to minimise pilferage and noncompliance,” said the governor.
Njuki further revealed that modern technology has also been employed in agriculture by linking farmers to digitised platforms and e-services across various value chains and by using soil testing scanners.
“Subsidised fertiliser from the national government and subsidised Artificial Insemination services by the county government have also increased farm produce and milk production, respectively,” added the governor.
He said the county government is also in the process of establishing an Agricultural Training Centre to ensure that the farmers benefit from modern management practices to further enhance the sector in line with making the county and, by extension, the country more food-sufficient.
The governor said his government has improved the health sector by upgrading level 2 health facilities to level 3, while upgrading level 3 health facilities to level 4 after the Chuka County Referral Hospital was upgraded to level 5 and hence open to patients from other neighbouring Counties.
By David Mutwiri
