Kisumu County has conducted a pre-budget conference for the fiscal year 2021-2022, which involved County Executive and the County Assembly to strengthen budget process and projects.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o opened the public participation meeting that was convened at a Kisumu hotel on Monday.
The key issues that were explored included; the emerging policies and operational issues surrounding the county planning and budgeting, as well as their implications at the strategic level and on the frontline services.
In addition, speakers raised performance concern on the County’s departments like Agriculture, Education, Health and Business, Marketing and Cooperatives.
Nyong’o urged the County Executive Committee (CEC) members to speed up the completion of flagship projects as well as giving priority to incomplete projects instead of starting new ones.
The county boss reiterated that the 10,000 hectares’ irrigation scheme in Nyakach and the waste management project in Kasese should be financed into completion in the following financial year.
“Every ward should have a project whether funded by donors or the county. So let us make sure that there is equity in project distribution so that every ward can feel that the county government is doing something, with the limited resources that we have,” he added.
Nyong’o commended the Department of Water for availing the commodity to residents in Awasi and Maseno towns but warned the leaders to reduce the number of smaller little projects which are scattered all over the county with motives of awarding tenders to people.
To succeed in fulfilling its manifestos and deliver other development projects in the county, the chief officers were reminded to help the CECs and make sure that technical work goes on properly in their various departments.
“Help the ministers in making sure the technical work, the monetary evaluation and procurement are done properly. Let these procurement processes be understood by officers working there to avoid getting advertised tenders being canceled due to poor procurement processes,” Nyong’o added.
The county officials were urged to respect data that will be availed by the newly established Data Collection Department and the Monitoring and Evaluation department responsible for collecting data from the projects.
The County Assembly Speaker, Mr. Elisha Jack Oraro, stressed on the need to complete ongoing projects and payment of pending bills.
Oraro asked the CEC member for Finance and Economic Planning Mr. George Okong’o to provide a list of verified and approved pending bills to be given priority to avoid allocating lump sum amount for pending bills.
The event was also attended by the CECs, Clerk of the Assembly Mr. Owen Ojuok, Chief Officers, MCAs, and other county officials.
By Robert Ojwang’
