New automated system to help region curb loss of revenue

Bungoma County Deputy Governor Hillary Chongwony (Left, Centre) with the County Assembly Speaker John Makali (Right,Centre) dance to traditional Bukusu music during the launch of the Automated Revenue Management System at Kenya Industrial Estate Bungoma on 22/2/2016. (PHOTO: TITUS OTEBA/STANDARD)

The government has unveiled an automated revenue-management system.

The Bungoma Automated Revenue Management System, the government said, would help enhance the finance department's work.

Speaking yesterday during the system's launch at Kenya Industrial Estates in Bungoma town, Deputy Governor Hillary Chongwony said the county had joined a growing list of those that had embraced the technology.

Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos and Kisumu are some of the counties that have automated their revenue management processes.

"Just like all counties across the country, we are limited in the delivery of services by inadequate financial resources. To bridge the deficit, we have put in place a number of measures to ensure efficient utilisation of the resources we receive from the national government as well as grow our internally generated revenues," he said.

Mr Chongwony said in three years' time, internally generated revenue has grown from Sh182 million in 2014 to Sh504 million last year, and with the automated system the county expected to collect Sh783 million by June this year.

The electronic revenue management system provides seamless integration of revenue collection, banking and accounting. It provides tight but customisable controls and real-time tracking of revenue flow right from collection to banking, the deputy governor said.

Chongwony said the system is structured to provide real-time reports for quick decision making and has a provision for payment of county services through mobile money transfer services.

He said the key objective for developing the system was to seal leakages in the revenue management process, which would have been very cumbersome in the current manual system.

Chongwony said the new system was part of ongoing efforts to reform revenue management in the county.