Members of the county assembly of Kakamega have unanimously passed the proposed budget for the year 2016-2017 estimated at 13,200,138,725 shillings.
The Salaries and remuneration was allocated Ksh. 4,203,124,024, recurrent estimates Ksh. 2, 363,089,335 while development got Ksh. 6,633,925,366 totaling to slightly above Ksh. 13 billions.
The giant share of over 2 billion shillings was allocated to the health sector while the county assembly was allocated 900 million shillings.
The budget had previously been rejected by members of the county assembly who had been allocated 625 million for their salaries and remuneration.
Led by the minority leader Titus Kwoma, they had vowed not to pass the budget if the figure was not reviewed.
Kwoma argued that the county government had been allocated less resources with an intention of paralyzing their operations especially the oversight role.
The commission for revenue allocation gave the Kakamega county assembly a budget approximation totaling to 899 million shillings for this financial year.
Despite this agreement, most of the MCA’s have a number of issues they want addressed come next budget.
Namamali member of county assembly Kelvin Olengo, praised the budget saying that the planners ensured that most of it was directed to the residents.
He however disagreed with the Afya ya Mama na Mtoto fund allocation of 90 million shillings stating that the money should be directed to the ward level and not be controlled from the governor’s office.
Olengo claimed that the residents from his ward have not benefited from the same and thus need to devolve it to the ward to ensure that leaders can monitor the money.
He further advised them to redirect the 70 million shillings allocated to construct the governor’s resident to bursaries arguing that the residence was not as important as the people’s education.
Nominated MCA Alex Khamasi felt that money allocated for rent was quite high and thus proposed that the county government should think of building its own offices rather than rent.
Khamasi argued that 182 million shillings is quite high for rent and should rather be directed to the government’s property.
The finance chairman Benard Lukulu has called upon the executive to ensure that the budget works exactly as passed by the assembly saying that they have allocated enough to help the residents.
