Kirinyaga MCAs on Tuesday adopted a five-year Sh54 billion County Integrated Development Plan, which will guide their projects and programmes.
The money will be sourced from local revenues, disbursements from the national government, conditional grants from global donors and direct project funding.
Mutithi MCA Jinaro Njamumo who moved the motion on behalf of the County’s Budget, Appropriation and Budget departmental committee, hailed all the stakeholders involved for their commitment in drawing a work plan that will steer the county’s development agenda to greater heights.
He said sectors that will get the lion’s share under the county’s expenditure plan are health, agriculture, transport and finance.
The MCA who is also the assembly’s deputy speaker said the work plan caters for the completion of all stalled county projects. It will also cater for the ongoing projects and others set to be initiated across the county in course of the term.
“We would love to appeal to the county government under the leadership of Governor Anne Waiguru to prioritise completion of all the projects that were initiated by the last regime and those that have been ongoing before coming up with new ones,” he said.
While lauding Kirinyaga residents for their input through the public participation engagements that were conducted across all the 20 wards, Njinaro called on them to support the county government by fulfilling their tax obligations.
He reiterated the need for all Kirinyaga business owners to pay revenue to enable the county finance development programmes.
He also urged the National government to timely dispense county funds so that all planned projects can adequately be carried out according to plan.
“We believe that the Council of Governors has been pushing for an end to this crisis. However it’s important to call on our people to pay taxes so that, should we experience any sort of delay, we will have a fall back plan that will enable us shoulder some of the responsibilities,” he added.
County assembly majority leader Muriithi Kibinga said the plan was necessary as it would help guide the county in fulfilling both flagship and ward based projects.
He said through the proposals, the MCAs will as well fulfil all the development pledges they made to the electorate during the campaign season.
Youth MCA representative Bosco Gichangi lauded the proposals for incorporating income generating activities that can be undertaken by the young people.
He said among other activities, agriculture will be a game changer in the lives of the youth thus calling on them not to shy away from actively participating in agriculture.
He also called on the youths to register in groups so that they can get access to government fund which will enable them to venture into various income generating activities.
With the approval from the assembly, the proposal will now be handed to Waiguru who will sign it into law. The bill, if it becomes law, will be instrumental during the county’s budget making process.
The county later in the day also passed the Annual Development Plan (ADP) for the year 2023/2024 which is an extract from the CIDP.
Among projects proposed are construction of three markets, automation of integrated Health information system in 20 health facilities and support of 15 irrigation projects.
Others are establishment of a macadamia factory, purchase of 70 collection facilities, operationalising the new Kerugoya County Level 5 medical complex, purchase of sports uniforms to various county clubs among other projects.
-Edited by SKanyara
