Nyeri County governor Mutahi Kahiga has appealed to the National government to review slash on county budgets to ensure operations in the devolved units are not adversely affected.
Kahiga said the Sh 9 billion cut has left counties with huge budget deficits that would hurt the regions development and expectations of the electorate.
The governor was speaking today in Nyeri town when he assented to the 2018/19 County Finance Bill after it sailed through the County assembly.
“I appeal to the National government and the National Assembly to reconsider reinstating the Sh 9 billion reduction because this will definitely affect devolution negatively,” the governor said.
Kahiga added that the assenting of the Finance Bill 2018/19 by President Uhuru Kenyatta left huge deficits in the county budgets citing Nyeri that lost Sh 160 million.
He said the national assembly should look for funds from other sources and not touch monies earmarked for devolution.
The County boss noted that the future of devolution lies with the counties generating funds to spur growth and development.
Kahiga said the County would enhance revenue collection and seal all loopholes where funds are lost adding that the automation of revenue collection was in the process.
“The county has increased county revenue collection from Sh 630 million to Sh 730 million last year,” he said, adding that this year the devolved unit proposes to generate about Sh one billion.
He said taxpayers in the region would not be burdened by increasing taxes but collection of the same would be strengthened.
He thanked the County assembly for passing the 2018/19 County Finance Bill regretting that the area had operated without a finance bill since 2014 when then MCAs were at logger heads with the executive and refused to pass the bill.
Speaking during the same occasion County assembly Speaker John Kaguchia echoed the governor’s sentiment that reduction of county budgets would adversely affect devolution.
Kaguchia added that the assembly considered all petitions presented to the assembly by the residents before passing the Finance Bill 2018/19