Sh9.6b of county’s allocation unused

By STANLEY MWAHANGA and JOACKIM BWANA

Mombasa, Kenya: Mombasa County government spent a paltry Sh2.1 billion in the first quarter of this financial year out of the targeted Sh11.7 billion.

The county underspent by Sh9.6 billion even as several stakeholders protest over poor services and slow implementation of the infrastructure expansion and repairs.

Ironically, the county is also among those that have been rooting for increase in financial allocation from the national government.

According to the county’s Fiscal Strategy Paper released yesterday, Sh2.3 billion was still held up in ongoing projects under the Kenya Municipal Programme.

Digitalise revenue collection

“Expenditure execution has generally lagged behind in the first half of the financial year,” Khalid Walid, the member in charge of Finance told stakeholders at the Government Training Institute in Mombasa, yesterday.

Even though the performance in ordinary revenues indicated cumulative shortfall, Walid said he remained optimistic that the county was on the right track to sustain itself.

“The overall annual growth has been encouraging and we remain optimistic that the revenue targeted for financial year 2013/14 will be met,” he said.

 He added that the county would continue to monitor closely revenue performance after the enactment of the Finance Bill 2014.

Walid revealed that the county plans to spend Sh12.2 billion in its 2014/2015 financial year for recurrent purposes and on development.

The official also said the administration is seeking to computerise revenue collection by adopting and operationalising systems that enhance financial accountability and reporting and sealing revenue leakages. The county expects to draw Sh4.3 billion from the National Government Equitable Share kitty with total expenditure expected to be Sh7 billion after it disclosed it is working on measures to reduce the recurrent expenditures from the current Sh7.9 billion.

He said they were planning on raising the ceiling for development expenditure.

Estimates for 2014/15 indicate that the county proposed to allocate the executive team, under the governor, Sh2.76 billion, a move that has irked stakeholders.

“Our medium term expenditure budgeting entails adjusting non–priority expenditure to cater for the priority sectors which will guide resource allocation,” said Walid.

Sh400 million is to be used by the county assembly, according to the paper that also discloses future programmes.

Only Sh71 million will be allocated for public service, with education and health services receiving Sh250 million and Sh244 million respectively. Sh100 million has been marked for beautification and refurbishment of Mombasa city.