HOMA BAY: County to scale down Sh7b budget

Homa Bay County is likely to scale down its Sh7billion budget unveiled last week to the public by the County Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee.

The move follows recommendations made by members of the public during last Thursday’s presentation of the budget estimate at a Homa Bay Hotel and a subsequent meeting of the County Executive that was led by Governor Cyprian Awiti and the County Assembly members.

Members of the County Assembly budget and Appropriation Committee, led by Chairman Samwel Okumu, and some members of the County Executive members led by Nichola Obuya Koriko, who is in charge of Finance and economic planning, spent the weekend outside the county re-working the budget.

In the original budget estimate for the 2013/2014 Financial year, the gross total expenditure estimate for the County was put at Sh7,037,927,718 billion.

Out of the amount, the expenditure for county executive is Sh5.6billion out of which, Sh3.6billion is for Development while Sh1.9billion for recurrent expenditure.

The expenditure for the County Assembly is Sh1.3billion with Sh1.1billion slotted for recurrent and Sh219, 550,000 for Development expenditures.

During the public debate, members of the public raised concern over a huge chunk allocation of the budget by the County Assembly on corporate social responsibilities as one of the major priorities.

The said social corporate responsibilities have been factored in the Sh1.1billion for its recurrent expenditure.

In the budget estimate for the county health sector, Sh16m had been earmarked for construction of 8 maternity wards while Sh8.4m will be used to buy an Ambulance for the County Health service.

Some Sh39.5m has also been set aside to equip health facilities within the County while Sh9m will be used for installation of an oxygen plant at the Homa Bay County Hospital.