Alarm as counties fail to meet their revenue collection targets

Billions of shillings in government revenues remain uncollected in the counties because of lack of morale by fee collectors.

The collectors are poorly paid and often mistreated by the devolved governments, a devolution conference in Naivasha was told on Friday.

They do not have the drive to do their job while some lack record-keeping skills, the meeting organised by the Senate Finance Committee heard.
According to a report released by the Controller of Budge last month, revenue collection by Bungoma, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Embu, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Kisumu, Marsabit, Nyandarua, Siaya, Taita Taveta and Tana River counties in 2013/14 were lower than former local authorities in their jurisdiction in 2011/12 by a combined Sh1 billion.

During the workshop that brought together the constitutional commissions and independent offices, it became apparent that the county governments would continue to struggle to meet their targets unless the collectors are paid well and motivated.  

The workshop held at the Great Rift Valley Lodge was also attended by chairpersons of county assembly public accounts, budget and finance committees from the 47 counties.

Deputy Controller of Budget Stephen Masha said the uncertainty and the mistreatment was working against the quest to collect higher revenues and ought to be addressed as soon as possible.

“When a staff officer is not sure about his job then revenue leakages can happen easily and some of it directed elsewhere at the source,” said Mr Masha.

The Transition Authority expressed its concerns about the level of education of the revenue collectors, saying many counties promoted illiterate employees to do the job.

“Some of the revenue collectors have told me that the county governments have expressed dislike for them. They said they have been called useless and they are expected to collect the money... Most of them were also doing menial jobs before they got promoted,” said TA member Simeon Pkiyach.

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro said it was worrying that the 47 counties were now generating less revenue than the defunct authorities.

“We have not put in place the right mechanisms to ensure higher revenue or their pilferage of the same,” he told the workshop.

The chairman of the County Speakers’ Forum Abdi Nuh said devolved units had no excuse for failing to collect higher revenues because they had raised operation rates within their jurisdictions.   

The workshop was organised by the committee together with SUNY-Kenya for the various oversight bodies in the devolution structure to enhance their capacities.