Nakuru wage bill to rise to Sh6.2bn in 2020/2021 financial year

Nakuru County wage bill is projected to increase from Sh5.8 billion in the current financial year to Sh6.2 billion in 2020/2021 financial year, according to the Medium Term Expenditure Framework Budget.

The budget which was tabled at the assembly on Wednesday indicates that annual estimates will drop from Sh21.7 billion in the current financial year to Sh14.5 in the next financial year before stabilising at Sh16 billion in 2022/2023 financial year.

BLOATED WORKFORCE

The county has a bloated workforce of more than 4,000 comprising a huge number of unskilled staff.

It has a big number of ageing workers who will retire at the end of the current financial year.

The county has set aside more than Sh150 million to pay its staff who will retire in nine departments.

The Health department leads with the highest number of those who have attained retirement age, has been allocated Sh97.6 million followed by the Public Service, Training and Devolution (Sh13.5million), Water, Environment, Energy and Natural Resources (Sh13.2 million).

Others are County Treasury (Sh11.3 million), Youth, Culture, Gender, Sports and Social Services (Sh5.1million), Infrastructure (Sh5 million), Lands, Physical Planning and Housing (Sh2.3 million), Education, Vocational Training, ICT and E-Government (Sh1.8 million).

RETIREMENT

The department of Trade, Industry, Marketing and Tourism has the least number of employees earmarked for retirement this financial year.

Health department, which takes the lion’s share of development expenditure, has been allocated Sh1 billion. Its recurrent expenditure in the financial year 2020/20121 is Sh3.7 billion.

The county Treasury has also been allocated Sh1 billion for development expenditure.

The department plans to put up an ultra-modern office block. Its recurrent expenditure is Sh496 million.

The Infrastructure department will gobble Sh918 million as development expenditure and Sh148 million as recurrent expenditure.

Education, Vocational Training, ICT and E –Government has been allocated Sh288 million as development expenditure and Sh572 million as recurrent expenditure.

Others are Office of Governor and his deputy (Sh45 million), County Public Service Board (Sh6 million), Trade, Industrialisation, Cooperatives and Tourism (Sh113 million), Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Sh155 million), Lands, Physical Planning and Housing (Sh172 million), Water, Environment, Energy and Natural Resources (Sh273 million), Public Service, Training and Devolution (Sh42 million) and Youth, Culture, Gender, Sports and Social Services (Sh106 million).

CORONAVIRUS

In the subsequent financial years of 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 the ward kitty will be increased to Sh1.5 billion and Sh1.6 billion respectively.

However, the county is expected to experience a slow down on its development projects owing to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic which has disrupted revenue collection.

The county revenue collection in markets, hotels and learning institutions among others have been closed down and workers sent on unpaid leave.

The Wakulima Market has been relocated to Afraha Annex Stadium, while Matatu terminus have been moved from the Central Business District to Ziwani, Kwa Jack Stage and Showground and this has disrupted revenue collection.