County operations and development projects in Kilifi have been crippled due to shortage of funds that the county is currently experiencing.
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, admitted that the central government through the National Treasury has been dragging in disbursing funds to the county.
Speaking to journalists outside the Kilifi County Assembly buildings in Malindi after addressing the house for the first time since he was re-elected, Kingi said that the county is expected to receive a certain amount from the National Treasury which is currently not happening.
The governor added, “since Kilifi county assembly approved its Kshs. 13 billion budget, it has received only Kshs. 500 million. Will Kshs. 500 million complete projects? We have resorted to using it to pay salaries.”
According to Kingi, by now the National Treasury is supposed to have disbursed about Sh5 billion to the county out of the Sh13 billion passed on June 27, 2018.
“Kilifi being a victim of this year’s heavy rainfall, we had started building what had been swept by the rains including roads. Since there are no funds, everything has been left by the contractors unfinished. Some were almost at their completion stage,” added the governor on Tuesday.
In his address to the Kilifi members of county assembly, the governor said some road projects that were started in the 2017/2018 financial year set to be completed this financial year will have to be re-tendered for a lot was swept away by heavy rains.
It's barely a month since speaker of Kilifi County Assembly, Jimmy Kahindi and the county assembly budget committee chair, Albert Kiraga, admitted that activities at the Assembly were not running as normal for the funds received were too low to hold motions and pass bills.
According to speaker, it is approximated that Kilifi County should receive Sh1 billion every month.
Governor Kingi said roads within Mtwapa, Kilifi and Malindi town will undergo upgrading after Sh330 million was received from the Kenya Urban Support Programme.