Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo has assented to the Disaster Management bill that seeks to establish an institutional legal framework to set aside funds to deal with disasters in the County. He said an independent committee is going to be formed to manage funds allocated to the kitty to manage calamities in the region.
Ottichilo noted that according to the County Government act, two percent of the annual budget should be allocated to the disaster fund. “The County has been facing legal challenges incurring expenditure during disasters instead of waiting for financial provisions in the supplementary budget now the fund established under this bill will enable us to manage calamities well,” he said.
The County boss reiterated that the region has been experiencing heavy downpour that has caused landslides and affected several homes especially in Hamisi Sub County.
Vihiga County Assembly speaker Hasnah Mudeizi has said it has been hard for the house to pass crucial bills, because of the Covid-19 protocols put in place by the Ministry of Health.
The other bill that has been signed is the Vihiga County Early Childhood Education Bill 2019 that seeks to improve infrastructure in ECDE centres, recruitment of qualified teachers and a well planned free feeding programme. The Finance bill has also been signed and will help to execute provisions of the Finance Act that will help the County Government meet set targets on revenue collection.
