NYERI, Kenya, Jun 26 – Nyeri residents have a reason to smile after county government on Thursday evening presented a Sh7.4 billion budget for the year 20/21 without increasing any levy to them.
This is despite the county revenue target of collecting Sh1billion projected not to be realised, with the county expecting to collect Sh650 million owing to closure of bussiness due to covid-19 resistrictions.
Presenting the budget which he described as zero rated, Nyeri county executive incharge of finance Robert Thuo said that this year’s rates will remain the same.
However, the county enforcement team will be more strict to ensure no one fails to pay rates payable to county government.
“Although we project shortfall of revenue due to restrictions which has seen many bussiness closed we are not increasing any rate so people should not fear,however we will be very strict to ensure everyone pays ceaser what belongs to him” said Thuo.
He said that so far they have slashed levies paid by matatu operators due to restrictions while at the same time the county has waived land rates.
In the budget hailed by members of county assembly as friendly to common mwananchi road construction and agriculture took the lion share of allocation.
Road construction was allocated over nine hundred million shillings,agriculture
250 million ,health 360 million and covid-19 intervention 40 million.
Ward development allocation suffered most with it’s funding slashed from thirty million to sixteen.
However ongoing projects were allocated 260 million for their completion.
County assembly members who talked to the press lauded the budget saying they have no problem of slashing of their wards development fund.
The assembly will start debating the budget on tuesday next week before passing it.
