Digitise funds collection to check graft, Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka says

By DANIEL PSIRMOI

BUNGOMA; KENYA: Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has said county governments will manage their finances prudently if they digitise revenue collection and accounting systems for accountability purposes.

Mr Lusaka said public confidence and trust in the management of public funds would be enhanced through a transparent process of revenue collection and spending of public funds.

The governor, who was in the spotlight recently after a draft budget paper prepared by county assembly members was circulated to the media, said his county will take the lead in automating revenue collection.

“We will phase out the manual revenue collection system and in its place introduce a fully automated collection system, a move that strives to seal leaks that have in the past resulted to massive revenue loses,” said Lusaka.

The governor said county governments can manage resources and generate enough revenue to supplement what they receive from the exchequer for funding of development programmes.

Speaking in Chwele over the weekend during the launch of the new county government receipts for tax collection, Lusaka said plans were in top gear to introduce an electronic revenue collection system in the next six months.

Sealing loopholes

He said this was in a bid seal loopholes that have resulted to losses translating to millions of shillings every month.

“In Chwele market alone, over Sh46 million has been collected since March, but only Sh32 million has reached county coffers. If we digitise our revenue collection system, as we plan to, then theft of revenue will be history,” he said.

The governor disclosed that the county also intends to introduce a single tax collection mechanism aimed at curbing double taxation of traders and businessmen, including boda boda operators who complain of being overtaxed by paying fees to different local authorities in their areas of operation.