Embu County Assembly Approves Sh7.7 Billion Budget

Embu

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

KNA by Samuel Waititu

Embu County Assembly on Wednesday approved the County Budget Estimates for the 2023/2024 Financial Year amounting to Sh7.7 Billion.

According to County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Chair Mucangi Mwariama (Kagaari North Ward), the approved budget consists of Sh5.34 billion from equitable share of revenue from the National Government and Sh750 million from own source revenue.

The county also expects to raise more revenue from conditional grants, transfer of library services, leasing of medical equipment, National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP), National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) and Agricultural Sector Development Support Program (ASDSP) II totaling to Sh. 440 million.

Additionally, the county also expects to receive grants from Primary Health Care from Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Emergency Locust Response Project (ELRP, Financing Locally led Climate Action Program, Aquaculture Business Development Project (ASDSP) and Kenya Nutrition Support Grant amounting to Sh281 million.

Of the Sh7.7 billion budget, recurrent expenditure will take the lion’s share of Sh3.8 billion representing 49.9 percent while Sh2.5 billion will go to the development representing 32.6 percent of the total budget.

Sh1.4 billion is expected to go into operations and maintenance representing 18.3 percent of the total budget.

The budget also factored an additional Sh150 million for construction an Industrial Park cum aggregation center on top of Sh100 million allocated in the previous fiscal period.

Sh100 million has also been set aside for murraming, grading, bush clearing and re-shaping of feeder roads.

The arid region of Mbeere North and South Constituencies have been allocated Sh14.5 million for purchase of drilling rig.

Sh28.5 million has also been allocated for drilling of 25 new boreholes as well as repairing and equipping the existing ones.

Thura Bridge connecting Kiambere, Mavuria and Muminji Wards was allocated Sh10 million to ease transportation.

The County Government will also spend Sh10 million to start a women empowerment programme through the Women Enterprise Fund while the youth will benefit from Sh8 million in the ‘Talanta Hela’ programme which will be implemented in collaboration with the national government.

The county also factored Sh300 million for payment of unremitted statutory and third party salary deductions for its employees which represent 51 percent of the outstanding pending bills.

Community Health Promoters will receive a stipend of Sh48 million while Sh19 million has been set aside for completion of Wards at Embu Level Five Hospital.

Each of the 20 wards will benefit from Sh420 million in Ward equalization projects, a kitty pushed by the elected MCAs to implement identified priority development projects in their respective areas.

Courtesy ; K. N. A