KAKAMEGA COUNTY BUDGET REMAINS MYSTERY

There is a simmering displeasure among experts in Kakamega County following the manner in which the distribution of resources has been conducted. The county received Sh7 billion from the central government. With an addition of about Sh2billion from the annual local revenue collections, it adds up to Sh9billion in the year 2013/2014, the amount available for development and recurrent expenditure which is the minimum cash.

Stakeholders argue that basing on the population strength of 1.7 million people in the county, it is only fair that farther distribution should go hand in hand with the number of people in their respective sub-counties. Malava with a population of 205,166 should get Sh600million. The subcounty with the least population, Mumias East with 89,724 people should get Sh250 million.

Other subcounties get shares as follows: Lugari (167, 014) Sh500million, Lurambi (160,229) Sh500milliom, Shinyalu (159,475) Sh500million, Matungu (146,563) Sh450million, Butere (139,780) Sh400million, Navakholo (137,165) Sh400million, Likuyani (125,135) Sh400million, Mumias West (123,094) Sh350million, Ikolomani (104,669) Sh300million, Khwisero (102,635) Sh300million.

The balance goes to the administration for development projects, salaries and to the costs of supplies to all institutions run by the county government. The money is further distributed to wards and again bearing in mind the number of people where “the county assembly is prayed to enact a law to put this process in effect”.

The experts led by Gerrishom Majanja, a former civic leader and an economist maintain that their main objective is to “provide citizens of Kakamega some information on what is available to them if they remain vigilant. It is also a simulation to highlight opportunities and challenges brought by devolution”. The latest controversy on the same token has put the county government in the spotlight.  They believe that they have found some reasonable doubts against the governor as far as Shinyalu (Kakamega East) is concerned. Note that the district’s population is only 10pc of the entire second populous county after Nairobi.

It consists of six wards whose funds allocations should state as follows: Isukha South (35,807) Sh110million, Isukha Central (34,545) Sh110million, Murhanda (28,285)  Sh90million, Isukha North (23, 496) Sh75million, Isukha West(19, 412) Sh60million,  while Isukha East (17,847) gets Sh55million. According to Gerrishom Majanja “Shinyalu will receive Sh85million (Sh60million via the MCAs plus 25 direct from the governor)” hence rising a major believable doubt as far as the resource distribution is concerned.

The distribution of resources is based on the fact that 40pc of the total available to the county is diverted towards administration; salaries, and costs of supplies to all institutions run by the county. The experts now want the governor to shed some light about the balance of Sh415million which is due to Shinyalu. They want to know on what basis did the governor offer Sh10million which represents only 0.2pc of the revenue to the county to the MCAs.

 They want to find out why the county government has not put forward the 2013/2014 budget in the open? Majanja is the former director of Kenya Pipeline Company and one time nursed an ambition to become Shinyalu MP. The argument is captured in three letters signed by Majanja and in circulation in Kakamega county. Efforts to get Dr Khalwale’s opinion on the subject did not bear fruits.