Kakamega, May 13, 2025 — Kakamega County’s Budget and Appropriations Committee began dissecting the proposed Kshs. 18.15 billion budget for Financial Year 2025/2026 on Monday, amid lingering concerns from the Auditor General over the county’s spending habits. Led by County Treasury’s Director of Budget and Planning, CPA Herman Dennis Lusuli, the team presented estimates that allocate Kshs. 12.02 billion (66.21%) to recurrent expenditure and Kshs. 6.13 billion (33.79%) to development, raising questions about fiscal discipline.
The budget draws from Kshs. 13.58 Kshs. 13.58 billion from Equitable Share, Kshs. 2.2 billion from Own Source Revenue, Kshs. 1.58 billion from Conditional Grants, and Kshs. 794.7 million as a carried-forward balance.
Public Service and County Administration tops allocations at Kshs. 7.4 billion (40.8%), followed by Roads (Kshs. 1.68 billion, 9.3%) and Health (Kshs. 1.63 billion, 9.0%). The County Assembly gets Kshs. 1.38 billion, with Kshs. 700.4 million for salaries. However, Lusuli flagged a wage bill of 38.01%, above the 35% legal threshold. “Measures are in place to correct this by 2027,” he assured, citing national guidelines.
Past Auditor General reports have slammed Kakamega for bloated personnel costs, unbudgeted expenditures, and stalled projects, casting a shadow over the new estimates. Philip Maina, Majority Leader, stressed thorough analysis to ensure ward-based projects are implemented. “Members will have adequate time to analyze the document,” he said.
Minority Leader David Ndakwa urged diligence: “We must know what we’re looking at to avoid sideshows.” Committee Chairperson Gildon Shioso, from Butsotso South, called for sharp scrutiny. “Let’s raise proper questions to the executive where clarity is needed,” he said.
The committee plans public hearings and executive interrogations this month to refine the budget. With the Auditor General’s critical eye on Kakamega’s fiscal track record, the committee faces pressure to balance development goals with accountability, ensuring taxpayer funds deliver for the county’s 2 million residents.