Gladys Wanga: Homa Bay has potential to raise Ksh1B annually
Homa Bay governor Gladys Wanga has said that the county is capable of collecting up to Ksh1 billion annually from its own revenue.
“Reports indicate that our county has the potential to collect Ksh1 billion shillings yearly from our own source revenue," she said.
"My government is keen on ensuring we collect enough revenue for ourselves to enable us to initiate additional development programmes on top of what we get from the national government,” Wanga added.
The governor, who was addressing the County Assembly for the first time, regretted that as a result of fraudulent activities Homa Bay is currently collecting less revenue as compared to the previous years.
She added that Homa Bay has been classified among the counties with poor revenue mobilization.
“Our revenue mobilization has been deteriorating over the years with our county rated among the poorest in our source revenue collection," she said.
"Indeed honourable members, our county is now collecting negative 34 per cent of the revenue that was collected by the former government, It is after this suspicious trend and fluctuations that triggered a reaction in my office to suspend revenue collection as we assess the loopholes which might have led to this,” the governor added.
Wanga has suspended revenue collection in the entire County and formed a committee to investigate loopholes which are leading to poor collections.
She asked members of the County Assembly to support her in saving Homa Bay's resources as she moves to facilitate the hardworking staff by eliminating ghost workers whom she said reap where they did not sow.
Wanga noted that her administration has taken necessary steps to salvage the human resource systems from suspected violations that could jeopardize the integrity of the government.
“In the human resource section we have ordered a payroll and personnel census audit and we will shortly bring on board a qualified Human Resource firm to be able to support this initiative,” she disclosed.
On the proposed legislations tabled during the second assembly, she requested the House to support and reconsider them while at the same time insisting on the climate change Bill saying it is very critical in the formulation of policy.
“I am aware that we have some proposed legislations and policies that may have been tabled in the House sometime back for your deliberations which am requesting that this House may have time to reconsider,” Wanga said.
“My focus is the climate change Bill that will be very critical for the support of policy formulation and more so for the revival of a friendlier ecosystem in our county,” she added.
The Homa Bay county boss informed that plans are underway to develop the lakefront through partnerships with neighbouring counties.
She said they have initiated engagements with partners towards the eventual creation of the Lakefront Development Authority to move them forward.
