Vihiga governor elect Wilber Otichilo has called on the assumption of office committee to reduce its inaugural budget of Kshs 21 million for swearing in ceremony. The governor elect said the budget was high and should be reduced to at least Kshs 5 million and the rest of the money channeled to development projects in the area.
“We cannot afford to use that sum of money in organizing such celebrations. The committee should come up with a lean budget to cushion the tax payers from unnecessary expenditures,” said Ottichilo.
He said the ceremony did not need such a colossal amount of money the committee had projected to use next week on Monday during his swearing in ceremony.
“During my campaigns, I promised that our scarce resources will be utilized for development purposes to uplift the welfare of our people and not on needless spending,” said Otichilo.
Otichilo said all development projects in the area will be undertaken after launching County Integrated development plan (CIDP) 2017-2022 which will act as a point of reference to any achievement in the region.
He added that the development plans in the county will take a participatory approach in its formulation by the public and stakeholders for its sustainability and success. He said the county government will also launch its internet portal that can be used by those living in diaspora and others to contribute to the formulation of the development projects.
The former Emuhaya MP said they would have to revise the budget and ensure health facilities especially Vihiga referral hospital get facelift and drugs to befit its status.
He said unemployed youth will be trained on technical and vocational skills to create more jobs for themselves and improve their earnings. “We must empower the youth and ensure they export their technical man power to other counties and even abroad for foreign exchange investment,” said Otichilo.
Otichilo noted that the biggest foreign exchange earner in the country are remittances from citizens working abroad and said over shillings 100 billion was sent to the Country in last economic year.