Elgeyo Marakwet County’s allocation from the national government will rise to Sh6 billion following the introduction of an affirmative allocation to disadvantaged counties aimed at enhancing their capacity to implement meaningful development.
Elgeyo Marakwet senator William Kisang highlighted that according to the affirmative allocation which was introduced by senators based on the equitable allocation formula running from 2025 to 2029, Sh4.4 billion will be shared among 12 counties that have been receiving below Sh6 billion.
With the affirmative allocation, the senator said the county will get Sh372 million adding that the county will also get an additional Sh700 million from the overall equitable share after it was increased from Sh387 billion in 2024/25 financial year to Sh415 billion this financial year.
The senator, therefore, called on the county to use the resources prudently to ensure that residents get value for the money adding that the idea of spreading monies for projects thinly on the ground should stop saying there’s nothing much to show for the more than 10 years of devolution in the county.
“This idea of allocating small monies like Sh200,000 or even Sh500,000 to projects should cease forthwith because we end up with small or incomplete projects that don’t add value to our people,” he said.
He, therefore, said he will convene a meeting involving both the assembly and the executive so that the additional Sh700 million can go towards financing flagship projects in each of the 20 wards in the county.
Kisang said there should be deliberate efforts to ensure that the county implements projects that will have an impact on the lives of the residents adding that he will continue with his oversight role to ensure that monies brought to the county are not misappropriated.
Following the enactment of the Elgeyo Marakwet County Equity Development Act 2015 (EDA) the development budget goes to the wards where residents allocate the funds to the various development projects.
This has led to projects being allocated fewer funds as the monies are spread to reach all corners of the ward.
By Alice Wanjiru
