Kajiado County will have a reduced total financial budget of Sh9.86 billion down from the initially projected budget of Sh11.25 billion for the 2022/2023 financial year.
A total of Sh2.96 billion will be allocated towards development projects in the county with each ward benefitting from Sh30 million assigned towards stalled and ongoing projects.
According to Maryanne Kariuki from the Department of Budget Planning and Project Implementation, the reduction in both the equitable share from the national government and grants in Kajiado County is as a result of the upcoming 2022 nationwide general election and the decline in the economy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The national gross domestic product (GDP) has declined because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The national government has begun a post-Covid recovery strategy with systems put in place to facilitate economic recovery in the next two years,” said Kariuki.
Kajiado North Sub-County Administrator Japeth Saruni on his part said the 2022/2023 budget would go towards ongoing projects rather than new projects due to limited funds.
“The total budget is determined by funds allocated by the national government, county revenue collected and grants. As the county government, we have a directive from the Department of Treasury and Finance to focus on ongoing projects,” said Saruni.
The grants for the 2022/2023 financial year in Kajiado County has reduced to Sh453 million from Sh1.4 billion in the 2021/2022 financial year.
The sectors in the county that will be most affected by the reduction in grants is the heath sector including level 2 and level 3 hospitals, road maintenance and renovation of polytechnic institutions.
The projects that would be allocated funds in the 2022/2023 financial year will be determined by members of the public through public participation forums in each sub-county.
By Amy Amoyi and Gworo Alice
