And the winners are... Narok, Elgeyo Marakwet lead in revenue collection
Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu when he appeared before Senate Standing Committee on Trade, Industrialization and Tourism at Parliament buildings Nairobi on Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Narok and Elgeyo Marakwet are among the counties that have achieved 50 per cent of their annual own source revenue generation target.
According to a report by the Controller of Budget for the first half of the 2024/25 financial year, Narok, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, Laikipia, Garissa, and Wajir counties have met their own source revenue collection targets.
Narok achieved 87 per cent, Elgeyo Marakwet 60 per cent, Samburu 59 per cent, Laikipia 55 per cent, Garissa 53 per cent and Wajir 52 per cent of its annual own source revenue target.
Narok County had a target of Sh4.8 billion but collected Sh4.3 billion, Laikipia had a target of Sh842 million and collected Sh791 million, Samburu had a target of Sh262 million and collected Sh165 million, Elgeyo Marakwet collected sh105.78 million against target of sh179.3 million, Wajir had a target of Sh80 million and collected Sh104 million.
However, six other counties had their own source revenue target at 20 per cent and below. These include Kiambu County 20 per cent, Bungoma 20 per cent, Kajiado 19 per cent, Kisumu County 18 per cent, Bomet 16 per cent and Machakos 12 per cent.
Bungoma had a target of Sh1.1 billion and collected Sh456 million, Kajiado had a target of Sh1.2 billion but collected Sh301 million, Kiambu had a target of Sh2.8 billion but collected Sh1.6 billion, Kisumu had a target of Sh2.8 billion but collected Sh677 million, Machakos had a target of Sh2.7 billion but collected Sh414 million.
For county governments whose own source revenue performance in the review period is below their projected target for the first half of the 2024/2025 financial year, the Controller of Budget recommends implementing strategies to collect the balance within the remaining period.
The Controller of Budget says counties that failed to meet the target should consider revising their own source revenue projects for the following period to be more in line with realistic and achievable targets.
The devolved units generated a total of Sh25 billion from own source revenue during the period under review, which covers the first half of the 2024/25 financial year, representing 30 per cent of the annual target of Sh84 billion.
"The realised own source revenue is an increase from the Sh19 billion generated in a similar period in the 2023/24 financial year," the report says.
The report also shows that the devolved units spent a total of Sh151 billion, representing 82 percent of the total expenditure on recurrent activities.
"This expenditure represented 40 percent of the county government's annual budget for recurrent activities and had a similar absorption rate in a similar period in 2023/24 when the expenditure was Sh143 billion," reads the report.
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