The Kakamega health docket is the biggest gainer in the county’s Sh14.9 billion budget passed by the county assembly on Wednesday last week.
The department has been allocated Sh4.5 billion for 2019-20. Of this, Sh3.1 billion is for recurrent expenditure and Sh1.4 billion for development.
Some of the projects under the health docket are the ongoing construction of the Sh6 billion Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital and the upgrade of existing health facilities to level four hospitals to ease congestion at the referral facility.
The county has been spending 30 per cent of its annual budget on health since 2013.
Transport, Infrastructure and Energy received the second largest at Sh1.9 billion — Sh96.2 million for recurrent expenditure and Sh1.8 billion for growth projects.
The Education, Science and Technology department was allocated Sh1.2 billion, while the Public Service and Administration was allocated Sh1.16 billion. In the latter case, Sh1 billion is for expenses and Sh163.5 million for development.
Overall, the county will use Sh7.8 billion for recurrent expenditures, translating into 52.5 per cent, and Sh7 billion for development, translating into 47.5 per cent. Thirty-seven per cent of the total budget will cover salaries and other emoluments.
County polytechnics whose management is a core function of the devolved units have not been allocated any penny. Nominated MCA Evalyn Mwanzo criticised the decision.
“The ministry has focused on national government functions under the Education Support Programme at the expense of county polytechnics and ECDE centres,” she said.
Meanwhile, Isukha South MCA Farouk Machanje has hit out at the executive for using health grants to fund other projects without the approval of the assembly.
“Donor funds should go to projects that have been budgeted for and at no time should the same be diverted to other projects without the assembly’s approval. As the opposition, we passed the budget but we will be keen on how the grants will be spent,” he.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
