Why Nakuru county folks will not benefit fully from this financial year’s budget that was approved by its county assembly

Nakuru county folks will not benefit fully from this financial year’s budget that was approved by its county assembly recently. The county’s last financial year budget did not have detailed explanations clearing up the priorities made in its allocations. According to analysis, one cannot be able to know whether its 2013/14 projects were to be carried out in one year or longer than that and if allocations were only for that financial year or the whole projects cycle. As the county’s integrated development plan is missing as well, it is difficult to tell what functions were taken up under each county ministry as required by the country’s budget controller’s regulations. It is also not clear why Nakuru county had budgetted for the building of police posts yet this is a national government project and its construction could remain a mystery as it is on the construction of the governor’s residence which was meant to cost Sh20 million. Our scrutiny of the last financial year of the county further reveals that the allocations for agriculture sector was not clear if the salaries earmarked were for extension workers or other administrators in the department. Similar circumstances seem to have cropped up in its local education budget as its salaries earmarked for “culture” was not specific whether it was for ECD teachers or other expenditures on the education department. Interestingly, the county’s 2013/14 had no salaries or allocations for refuse collection and the boggling question here is how and who paid the refuse collection services for the financial period that ended June this year. It is further not clear, however, why the county budget team had clearly indicated that it was to use Sh7 million for housing development and specified it for the rehabilitation of the defunct local authorities’ houses when other expenditures were not specified. It is also not clear if then earmarked expenditure for single financial year for the same was enough to complete the project or there were ongoing costs implied for future years.