Most counties in the Rift Valley region experienced delays in project implementation this year because of funding hitches from the Treasury.
Governors from the region are working overtime to complete projects lined up for the 2019-20 financial year within the six months starting January.
The county bosses have called on the Treasury to expedite the release of funds to the counties because delayed funding was undermining devolution.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago is among those making efforts to complete projects he has initiated before the end of his second term.
Mandago has instructed his executives to ensure that in the new year they spend much of their time in the field implementing county activities.
“From next year they should only be in the offices for less than two hours and be out there serving the public most of the time,” Mandago said.
Mandago said funding delays had caused the stalling of most projects that are key to the success of devolution.
“Once a project is planned, we should have it done within the set time so that Kenyans can get the value for money. But with poor funding that cannot be achieved,” he said.
Mandago has initiated mega projects worth more than Sh30 billion in Uasin Gishu which he wants to be completed before he exits office. The projects are in the water, agriculture, healthcare and co-operatives sector.
Elgeyo Marakwet also faced delayed funding from the Treasury but Governor Alex Tolgos says their main problem has been low allocation.
The county receives less than Sh2.8 billion from the Treasury which the governor says has been mostly used on recurrent expenditure, leaving little resources for development.
“We require not less than Sh5 billion annually so that we can implement our priority projects. Otherwise, with such little funding the residents of Elgeyo Marakwet will not feel the impact of devolution,” Tolgos said.
For much of this year, Tolgos was engaged in a vicious war with MCAs and Senator Kipchumba Murkomen over the funding crisis in the county.
While MCAs and Murkomen accused Tolgos of mismanaging the county affairs, the county boss blamed low funding for lack of development in the region.
The Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Controller of Budget have intervened to resolve the crisis and ensure that the budget for the county government and assembly are rationalised.
In Nandi, the arrest and prosecution of several officers over graft in the education and transport departments undermined Governor Stephen Sang’s efforts to implement projects aligned to President Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.
Sang also sacked three county executives in a purge on graft in his administration.
The county chiefs say they look forward to focusing on development programmes in the new year.
