In a landmark decision, the Murang’a County Assembly has approved a Sh10.46 billion budget for the 2024-25 financial year. This new budget marks an increase from the previous year’s estimate of Sh10.39 billion.
The approved budget, presented by Charles Machigo, Chairperson of the Committee for Budget and Appropriation, includes Sh3.15 billion for development and Sh7.29 billion for recurrent expenditure. The Department of Infrastructure received the largest allocation, with Sh1 billion earmarked for capital projects.
Out of the infrastructure budget, Sh735 million is designated for community projects such as the construction and renovation of dispensaries, rehabilitation of feeder roads, and the development of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centers. An additional Sh200 million is allocated to the Kang’ata Care program, aimed at providing universal healthcare to the elderly and vulnerable populations. This program currently benefits over 40,000 households and has been praised for its positive social impact.
The ECDE feeding initiative, known as the Uji program, will receive Sh115 million to ensure that young learners receive nutritious meals. The county government is committed to improving the standards of ECDE by renovating centers and providing meals.
To boost manufacturing, Sh200 million has been allocated for the establishment of an aggregated industrial park on land acquired from Delmonte Company. The county’s equitable share will increase from Sh7.58 billion to Sh7.75 billion, reflecting the rise in county allocations in the Division of Revenue Act.
Charles Machigo highlighted that the county’s own revenue estimates are set at Sh1.25 billion, following the collection of Sh1 billion in the past 11 months. The newly formed Department of Devolution and External Linkages will receive Sh46 million in recurrent expenditure, including a Sh37.5 million grant from the World Bank’s Kenya Devolution Support Programme.
A budget deficit of Sh143.6 million was addressed by adjusting the county assembly ceiling to Sh841.9 million, based on the County Allocation of Revenue Bill and Commission on Revenue Allocation parameters. The county treasury is expected to provide a detailed, itemized budget to the Controller of the Budget, specifying the locations for development projects, with a copy also submitted to the county assembly.