Senators raise concern over the deplorable state of Malaba town

The Senate has raised concern over what it it terms the deplorable condition of Malaba town in Busia County despite generating billions in revenue.

Members of the Senate Trade and Industry Committee established that Malaba, which houses the Malaba One Stop Border Post (OSBP), submitted Sh8.1 billion to the National Treasury in the 2024/2025 financial year.

Despite that, the senators noted that the town has no public sanitation facilities, save for one toilet used by the county staff at the OSBP.

The Senate Committee had toured the area to collect views from stakeholders on challenges affecting the critical crossing area interlinking Kenya and other landlocked countries in the East African continent like Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah told the committee that local residents had nothing to be proud of since all the revenue collected at the border town are submitted to the National Treasury.

“Do you know that despite the billions of shillings collected as revenue and submitted to the National Treasury in Malaba Town every year there are no sanitation facilities inside or outside this facility?” Omtatah posed.

The Committee chaired by Kwale Senator Issa Juma Boy was informed that in the 2024/2025 budget, the border facility registered a performance of 142 per cent, surpassing its Sh5.7 billion revenue target to register a total of Sh8.1 billion.

This was a huge improvement from Sh5.3 billion actual collections against a revenue target of Sh5.7 billion (91 per cent) achieved in the 2024/2025 financial year.

In the current financial year, the actual collection stands at Sh4.2 billion against a set targe of Sh3.1 billion, which translates to 135 per cent.

Omtatah said what is happening should not be the case in an area which generates billions of shillings to the national economy.

Senator Boy also raised concerns over a crucial road in the area whose construction has stalled since 2021, worsening the already slow movement of people and goods. He said the Committee will summon the county administration to establish why repairs have not been done four years on.

“The Senate Trade Committee will summon Busia Governor, Paul Otwoma, to explain the reason why it has taken so long to complete this road, as it was supposed to have been done four years ago. This is very unfair to the people of Malaba,” said Juma.

The Malaba One-Stop border post and Kenya Revenue Authority officials were put to task to explain complaints by drivers regarding constant blackouts and problematic scanners.