Turkana: Turkana County Department of Finance and Economic Planning has engaged Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in a consultative meeting to strategize on reducing Sh440 million from the county's annual equitable share and conditional grant allocation of Sh15.9 billion.
According to Kenya News Agency, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Michael Eregae, explained that the budget reduction follows the rejection of the Finance Bill by Kenyans in June 2024. As a result, the national government directed county governments to revise their budgets downward. "The Senate and National Assembly, through the County Allocation and Revenue Act 2024, required all devolved units to cut their budgets, necessitating Turkana County to reduce its allocation by Sh440 million," said Dr. Eregae.
The consultative meeting aimed to foster discussions between the Executive and Legislative arms of the county government to identify possible areas for budget reductions while safeguarding ring-fenced allocations for critical sectors such as water and food security. Dr. Eregae highlighted that possible budget cuts would mainly target projects at the County Headquarters and those within the Wards. He emphasized that the Supplementary Budget is still a work in progress, with further engagement expected between the Executive and the Budget Committee before submission to the Cabinet and later to the County Assembly for discussion and approval.
Chairperson of the House Committee on Budget and Appropriation, Patrick Napion, affirmed that the county government must comply with the national directive on budget reductions. Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, Trade and ICT, Michael Ewoi, commended the CECM and his team for engaging MCAs in discussions on the Supplementary Budget and stressed the importance of regular consultative meetings to enhance planning.
"As the Finance Committee, we have already identified ways to accommodate the required reductions through our Ward Development Fund (WDF). However, we urge the Executive to safeguard the WDF, as its absence could hinder the county's future development," said the Lapur MCA. He also called on the Planning Department to conduct countywide feedback sessions to inform the public about projects affected by the budget cuts, especially after previous public participation exercises helped identify development priorities.
Chief Officer for Economic Planning, Samuel Ekale, urged MCAs to support the proposed budget reductions, given the implications of the Finance Bill rejection. He acknowledged that the cuts would impact some crucial development projects planned for the 2024/2025 financial year. "I understand that these budget reductions will affect service delivery and the implementation of key projects. However, it is necessary to align our budget with the new financial realities," said Ekale.
The consultative meeting was attended by several MCAs, including Leader of Majority Stephen Edukon and Leader of Minority Vincent Ekipor. Also present were Benson Ewoton (Director, Treasury and Accounting Services), Samson Nakito (Director, Procurement), Francis Lokwar (Director, Planning), and Simon Wangila (Deputy Director, Budget), among others.