Taita Taveta County gets additional Sh370m equitable share revenue

Taita Taveta County Government has received an additional Sh370 million above the ordinary equitable share of revenue in this financial year.

Wundanyi MP and parliamentary budget committee member Danson Mwashako said the county will receive an allocation of sh5.57 billion, up from sh5.2 billion in the last financial year.

He said the county would also receive conditional and non-conditional grants, which include money for roads (RMLF) and donor funds. The revenue will be approximately Sh2 billion.

Mwashako, the Coast Parliamentary Group (CPG) chairperson, said the additional funding is an affirmative allocation aimed at addressing structural and developmental disparities.

“I strongly believe and recommend that 100 per cent of this Sh370 million be directed towards strengthening our county’s health sector,” stated the Wiper Party legislator.

The additional allocation comes when members of the County Assembly have constantly decried the stalling of development projects and low absorption rates.

The county received 96 per cent of its equitable share of revenue in the last financial year, but MCAs claim to date no development project to show for it, like other counties.

Governor Andrew Mwadime recently confirmed the county received its full share of revenue from the exchequer.

“Previously, there has been a major delay in the disbursement of funds by the national government, which has been badly affecting the operations of the counties. But now things have been streamlined, and the county received its fair share of allocation from the National Treasury,” the governor revealed at his Mwatate offices.

Earlier, Werugha Ward Representative Gerald Mwandau sought a statement on the status of the financial year 2022/2023 budget implementation.

In his statement, the House Minority Leader demanded to know how much the county received from the exchequer for the 2022/2023 financial year.

Mwadau asked the budget committee to issue the status of all projects budgeted for the same financial year, a list of contractors and suppliers paid and pending bills.

‘How much did the county accumulate as pending bills in the financial year? I also want to know how much was paid as pending bills,” stated the statement.

Mbololo Ward Representative Lawrence Mzugha concurred with the statement seeker, saying the house will continue playing its oversight and legislative roles without malice.

“We will continue playing our oversight and legislative roles well. The more we delay, the more the county gets into the ditch because the absorption rate in development projects has been low.

We will push our oversight roles to move the county from number 47 to the top 10 in development absorption rate,” the Deputy Majority Leader told the House.

Kasigau ward rep Amos Makalo noted that dozens of contractors have not been paid for goods and services rendered to the county.

“Despite the county receiving its full share of revenue, the problem of low absorption rate and pending bills is not ending. The house needs a comprehensive report on the status of the budget implementation. There was nothing to show for it in terms of development compared to other counties,” the House deputy minority leader told the speaker.

“Where does Taita-Taveta County’s fair share of revenue go? We should not have huge pending bills,” posed the ruling coalition legislator.

Mwandau said the house should now ensure that every coin received from the national treasury goes directly to what it is intended for and that all abandoned water, roads, health, agriculture, and education projects by the former administration are completed.

The MCAs attributed the slow pace in development to unrealistic pending and wage bills, indiscipline in the management of the budget, and failure by the executive to meet its on-source revenue targets.

Other factors affecting development include late, low revenue collection, pilferage, and theft of public funds.

Further, the MCAs noted the county had not been meeting its on-source revenue potential.

The budget committee said the county is still underperforming in its own-source revenue collection, characterised by over-budgeting figures and unrealised annual revenue targets.