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Oparanya: This is how I spent Kakamega's Sh94bn in 9 years
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya making state of the
county address at County Assembly on June 08,
2022.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has outlined how his administration spent Sh94 billion since he was first elected in 2013.
In his final county address in the Kakamega County Assembly, Mr Oparanya said his administration had given priority to infrastructural improvement, with an allocation of Sh11.56 billion to the Department of Roads, Public Works and Energy.
The revenue comprised Sh80.2 billion in equitable share and conditional grants amounting to Sh7.3 billion.
The county’s own-source revenue amounted to Sh6.5 billion.
The Department of Health Services received Sh8.64 billion, the second-highest allocation in the budget.
Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives was allocated Sh4 billion, while Education, Science and Technology had Sh3.59 billion.
Governor Oparanya said his administration had adhered to the fiscal responsibility principles as stipulated in the 2012 Public Finance Management Act to allocate a minimum of 30 percent of the total budget to development projects and programmes.
But as Governor Oparanya winds up his second and final term in office, some key projects he initiated have not been completed due to lack of funds while others are yet to take off.
Kakamega Referral Hospital
The projects include construction of the Sh8 billion Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital and the upgrading of the Bukhungu stadium to a modern sports facility.
The hospital was initially slated to cost Sh6 billion but the bill has shot up to Sh8, with the county government having spent Sh2.5 billion on the project.
Governor Oparanya said the county government had decided to hand over the level six hospital to the Ministry of Health, which is expected to complete and run it.
He said the county government could no longer raise the money to complete and activate the hospital, given the financial constraints it was facing.
The upgrading of the Bukhungu stadium is in its second phase but the works have been delayed by lack of funds.
Other stalled projects in the region include the construction of a tea factory in Shinyalu, Kakamega East sub-county and a milk processing plant in Malava, Kakamega North sub-county.
Money was allocated
The two projects were launched by Governor Oparanya and some money was allocated for them, but they did not take off.
Governor Oparanya said his administration had established the Kakamega County Revenue Agency in 2015.
‘The primary responsibility of the agency was to assess, collect and account for county revenue,” he said.
The agency automated revenue management systems by introducing cashless revenue collection and deployed revenue officers.
The move helped improve revenues from Sh329 million in the 2013/2014 financial year to Sh1.118 billion in 2020/2021.
Of the total expenditure for the entire period, 38,1 percent went into development projects, 37.4 per cent to personal emoluments and 24.5 percent to operations and maintenance of assets.
