Nakuru County revenue collection falls by Sh800m
Ward Reps at the Nakuru County Assembly wearing masks to protect themselves against coronavirus during a sitting on April 8, 2020. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The county is also planning to enhance emergency fund by Sh40 million.
- The massive financial gap comes at a time when Governor Lee Kinyanjui administration plans to spend Sh250 million on food and equipment to mitigate against coronavirus pandemic.
Nakuru County may face one of its worst financial years after supplementary budget tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday revealed a deficit of Sh800 million.
The supplementary budget was submitted to the House by the Leader of Majority Moses Ndung’u Kamau.
Deputy Speaker Samuel Tonui referred the document to the committee on budget for scrutiny before compiling a report on whether it should be amended of adopted as it is.
FINANCIAL GAP
The massive financial gap comes at a time when Governor Lee Kinyanjui administration is planning to spend Sh250 million on food and equipment to mitigate against coronavirus pandemic.
The county is also planning to enhance emergency fund by Sh40 million.
The devolved unit will also spend Sh30 million to address the locust invasion in the region.
The county also wants Sh43 million additional funds to be allocated to the department of Health to purchase drugs and Personal Protective Equipment.
The county plans to spend Sh165 million to complete an ongoing project at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
The county revenue, which has been dipping in the last two years, has reduced further due to disruption of revenue collection sources like parking, market fees, licences among others.
The current shortfall, which is set to increase as the coronavirus crisis persist, is at March 31, 2020.
The supplementary budget is set to face a stiff challenge as the ward reps will not accept a reduction in their bursary allocations and ward fund kitty to meet his development agenda.
“Governor Lee Kinyanjui administration has failed to boost its revenue collection even before coronavirus pandemic hit the country and he should not blackmail the House through the emergency of Covid -19 to reduce our ward fund kitty to meet his financial shortfall,” said an MCA.
FOOD CRISIS
The MCA said that the House will only address the issue of getting additional money to mitigate against the pandemic and food crisis after desert locusts invaded the county.
“We shall not allow Governor Kinyanjui administration which has failed to boost its revenue collection to dip into our bursary and ward kitty,” said the first time MCA.
Some of the MCAs said it would be wrong to suspend projects in the 55 wards after being awarded to contractors.
“The development kitty is our lifeline and we shall not touch it because we also have a contract with the residents,” said another MCA from Naivasha.
The ward rep said that the Budget Committee will meet later today and brief the House on the supplementary budget before it is debated in a special sitting on Thursday.
