Mombasa seeks to set up Ward Development Fund

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has instructed the office of the county attorney to explore legal means of making the Ward Development Fund a reality.

Nassir said on Monday devolution was meant to bring development closer to the people. 

"We will not be deterred and I want to assure this House that we are working to find a legal and appropriate way of making the Ward Development Fund a reality for our people," he said when he addressed the county assembly.

Bamburi MCA Patrick Mbelle said such a fund will open development at the ward level.

“This will make it easy for us to discuss with people on what they want done, knowing that we have funds set aside to support the development,” he said.

Likoni MCA Athman Mwamiri said the essence of devolution is development at ward level, hence the need for the fund.

“This is not an issue to negotiate about. It is something which could have been in existence since the onset of devolution in the first assembly. Now that the governor has good intentions, we will work with him to ensure that we do it at our own level,” he said.

Amriya Boy, Mjambere MCA said there will be committees at the grassroots to come up with decisions on which project they want implemented.

She said this will enhance public participation and engagement between the county government and residents at the village level.

“It is something we are happy about because in the last assembly, we did not have it because of separation of powers but the Controller of Budget issued guidelines on how we can effectively actualise the Ward Development Fund,” she said.

Governor Nassir said public expectations are higher than in the last two cycles of devolved governments and they will not tolerate the narrative of teething problems as an excuse for below par performance.

“We must get it right. The third cycle must be a cycle that validates and helps people to have faith in the devolved government,” he said.

Nassir said in this five-year plan, one of the key pillars is his intention to entrench good governance in the county government.

He said he will be presenting the county assembly with a series of bills for their consideration.

Among the bills is the Mombasa County Revenue Service Bill, which he said will establish a framework for revenue mobilisation, collection and receipt.

“The bill will help in ensuring there is effectiveness and efficiency in revenue mobilisation, collection and receipt. It will also enhance county revenue, optimise existing revenue streams and identify new streams of revenue,” he said.

Nassir said he has also been working on the Finance bill 2022-23, which will completely revolutionise the business environment and regime in Mombasa and make it a friendly region.

“We will bring down the costs of licensing for tuk tuks, public service vehicles and start while making the process digital, transparent and devoid of human interactions that may occasion corrupt practices,” he said.

On health, Nassir said he will put forward the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital Corporation bill, which will help mobilise resources for smooth operations at the hospital.

“Our level five hospital serves the coastal province as well as parts of Ukambani, it is the only medical facility in the region offering super specialist services such as open heart surgery and a fully fledged cancer treatment centre,” he said.

He urged MCAs to work with the executive and focus on service delivery.

Speaker Khatri Aharub, Deputy Governor Francis Thoya, Senator Mohammed Faki, Jomvu MP Badi Twalib and Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi were present.