The Vihiga County Assembly has commenced a review of the County Government’s strategic planning document at Friends Church Gavalagi, Luanda sub county to determine whether public views collected during public participation forums were adequately incorporated.
The exercise was led by the local ward representatives including Fredrick Mavisi (Lugaga Wamuluma Ward), Albert Mungasia (Mungoma) Pauline Amwata (Central Maragoli) and Patrick Kigumba (South Maragoli) together with clerks from the County Assembly
Speaking at the meeting, Mungasia said the budget should focus on projects that directly improve the lives of residents including healthcare, education and infrastructure.
Mungasia raised concerns over delayed payments to Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers, saying the county must honour its obligations before embarking on new projects.
“ECDE teachers must be paid according to Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC) guidelines. Their welfare should not be overlooked because they play a critical role in the education of our children,” he said.
On his part, Mavisi called for increased investment in healthcare, citing the need to complete and equip health facilities across the county.
He supported the allocation of funds for Mungoma Ward projects, including the proposed construction of a hospital, and urged the county to set aside adequate resources amounting to Sh567million for modern medical equipment
“We need a well-equipped health system that can effectively handle diseases such as TB and other health challenges affecting our people,” he noted.
On infrastructure, Kigumba highlighted the importance of street lighting and other community development projects.
He questioned the continued allocation of large sums to recurrent expenditures such as travel, accommodation and daily subsistence allowances while critical development needs remained unmet.
“Development must take priority. We cannot continue spending heavily on recurrent expenses at the expense of services that residents need,” he said.
Amwata emphasized on transparency and accountability in the utilization of public funds, particularly in bursary allocations and county projects.
According to the MCA, recommendations collected during the public participation exercise should be reflected in the final budget to ensure that the 2026/2027 financial plan addresses the needs and expectations of Vihiga residents.
Human Rights Activist Vihiga county, John Ishuga said the Assembly’s role is to scrutinize the document and make recommendations before its adoption.
“The County Government of Vihiga had brought the strategic paper to the public for participation, and it is now before the Assembly for review. We want to establish whether the Executive captured all the recommendations that members of the public submitted,” he said.
Ishuga added that the Assembly will compile its recommendations at the end of the review process and forward them to the Executive.
He also raised concerns over Vihiga’s status in relation to World Bank-funded municipal development programs, noting that while Vihiga Municipality is legally gazetted, it lacks a clearly defined physical municipal area.
What is gazetted is a municipality, but we do not have a physical municipality. Vihiga County has a unique situation because it is enclosed in the charter, unlike many counties that use their headquarters as municipalities,” he explained.
He appealed to the World Bank to consider Vihiga for funding allocations, adding that the institution now evaluates municipalities based on specific performance criteria and the efficiency of project implementation rather than listing all municipalities under a single program.
The MCAs assured the residents that all proposed recommendations will be considered before the budget is adopted.
By Crispinus Ivan and Winstar Jaika
