Sh11bn development cash idle as poor counties fail to use fund

A big chunk of development allocations meant to improve socio-economic conditions for residents in 14 marginalised counties is yet to be utilised three years after the initial implementation of the special fund.

According to the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), beneficiaries of the Equalisation Fund only spent Sh1.1 billion out of Sh12.4 billion allocated to them for specific development projects.

The CRA said that though demand for public services in the marginalised areas was very high, Sh11 billion was not spent on projects across the counties in the fund’s first policy of three-year implementation period (2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17), which lapsed in the FY 2016/17.

But the implementation of that first policy also began in FY 2016/17.

“Out of a total of Sh12.4 billion allocated during the first policy, only Sh1.1 billion had been spent by June last year. A total of Sh11.3 billion remained unutilised in the Fund,” CRA boss Jane Kiringai said.

SH482 MILLION SPENT

Only Sh482 million had been spent by June last year on projects across Garissa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, West-Pokot, Isiolo and Tana River counties.

Project implementation was yet to begin in Narok, Samburu, Taita-Taveta, Wajir and Turkana, which are the other beneficiaries singled out by the commission.

The government's first policy on marginalisation identified Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Samburu, West-Pokot, Tana River, Narok, Kwale, Garissa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Isiolo and Lamu as beneficiaries.

The second policy identifies 1,424 sub-locations spread across some 366 wards in 34 counties, especially in the northern Kenya region, as being marginalised.

The second policy, launched last week, will be used to share revenue from the Equalisation Fund for the period ending 2021, and also to identify marginalised areas within various counties.

MINORITY GROUPS

In it, four minority groups have been singled out by the CRA as the most deserving of special consideration for basic services.

The marginalised groups are; Elmolo (in Marsabit), Makonde (in Kwale), Waata (Isiolo and Mandera) and Dorobo-Salieta (Narok).

This second policy, which addresses extreme forms of marginalisation arising from barriers in relation to access to public services such as water, education and health facilities, also identifies the Endorois (in Baringo), Ilchamus (in Baringo), Sengwer (in Trans-Nzoia), Aweer-Boni, Yaaku (In Laikipia) as some of the other deserving groups.