The Kakamega County Government has set a target to increase its revenue collection from Sh2 billion in previous years to Sh5 billion this financial year.
With the anticipated increase in revenue collection, the Civil Society Organisations Network wants the County government to increase the allocation of funds to development to complete projects that have been initiated.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a public participation in the Fiscal Strategy Paper, the Secretary General of the network, Nicholus Anyangu, asked the County government to also seal all loopholes that can lead to revenue losses as it has been failing to meet the targets.
He also called upon the County administration to put in place stringent measures to ensure all funds collected through revenue and the allocation received from the national government are prudently managed and fully utilised.
Anyangu asked Kakamega County to use the funds generated through revenue and money received from the National Government to finance devolved functions as stipulated in the constitution and not to channel such funds to National Government projects.
“We don’t want to see a scenario where the County Government is using funds to do National Government projects and then complains that the funds released are not enough,” he added.
The Chairman of the Network Edward Wambani, noted that Kakamega is an Agricultural County but decried that the County Government has been allocating insufficient funds to the sector.
He called upon both the National and County Governments to address the high poverty index in Kakamega of approximately 49 per cent by establishing cottage industries to absorb the over 1.1 million labour force in the County.
Wambani also appealed to Governor Fernandes Barasa to prioritise the completion of stalled projects through either the use of funds or entering into public-private partnerships (PPP).
The Managing Director of Rising to Greatness Organisation Halima Nyota said that, from reviewing previous budget documents, the County Government has not fully implemented some projects that were captured.
She gave an example of the feeding programme, which the CSO noted had never been implemented despite being captured in the budget documents.
“Some Early Childhood Development Education Centres and Vocational Training Centres have not been upgraded into modern classrooms, with others lacking adequate teaching and learning facilities and materials,” she noted.
Halima disclosed that the County Government has managed to address issues of access and learning in County polytechnics through capitation.
“However, the transition rate by learners to the job market from County Polytechnics has been compromised by most of the learners being unable to raise and pay their respective national examination fees,’’ she observed.
By Moses Wekesa
