• MCAs say the entity uses more money than it collects
Image: REUBEN GITHINJI
Embu MCAs have called for the dissolution of the county’s revenue collection agency for failing to meet targets.
County Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee chairman Harrison Mwaluko said the Embu County Revenue Authority has never met targets set in the budget.
The Mwea MCA said missed revenue targets led to the shelving of development projects every year.
Kagaari South MCA Robert Ireri wondered why revenue collection had not been automated, yet the assembly had adopted the resolution to install an electronic platform for collections and allocated Sh100 million.
Ireri said the county has been grappling with revenue leakages for the last seven years despite the ECRA being operational.
Makima MCA Phillip Nzangi said it was important for the assembly to check whether the electronic revenue collection system was still in place.
He said revenue collectors had reverted to the manual system to avoid accountability.
The ward representatives supported calls for the formation of an ad-hoc committee to probe the operations of ERCA.
Majority leader Michael Njeru (Kithimu) called for an audit of the point-of-sale machines meant to automate revenue collection.
He said there were rumours that the gadgets were being used as a conduit for siphoning money.
Gaturi North MCA Paul Muchangi said ECRA collects less cash than the defunct local authorities despite being better funded and staffed.
He said some revenue sources could perform their roles even without the tax collectors. He urged the assembly not to allow funds to be misused by moribund institutions.
Mbeti South MCA Murithi Kiura said it was shocking the county was paying the service provider responsible for automating revenue collection more money than ECRA was collecting.
He said there was no value in having the authority in place. He said the authority is "a child the county might soon have to kill."
Kyeni North MCA Patrick Mukavi likened ECRA to an amorphous body and queried why the county wasted funds on a non-performing entity.
He said funds pumped into the agency were not commensurate with the collection of revenue. The MCA said ECRA should give adequate reasons why it should not be disbanded.
The leaders have since halted the recruitment of 80 revenue collectors and technical officers due to a weak county fiscal standing.
Edited by P.O