Machakos County Finance Executive Member Onesmus Kuyu has refuted claims that Matatu Sacco members have been collecting revenue for onward transmission to the County Treasury contrary to regulations.
The claims were made by Mua Ward MCA Mr. Francis Ngunga while contributing to a motion on the floor of the County Assembly on Tuesday.
Mr. Kuyu, who was flanked by Chief Officer Lawrence Maingi (Public Service), Ian Obare (ICT), Julius Kasanga (Finance), and Director Tobias Otieno (Revenue), among other officers, said there were no such arrangements with the Saccos, adding that such collections could have been meant for members’ welfare and not county revenue.
Appearing before the General Oversight Committee of the County Assembly to shed light on the county’s revenue performance, Mr. Kuyu said revenue from the Matatu sector had improved drastically since the County Government put in place measures to streamline revenue collection.
“The County was collecting only Sh3 million from the Matatu sector per month; now we are collecting Sh11 million per month,” said Mr. Kuyu. Machakos County revenue performance, although not meeting the target, had been on an upward trajectory.
The highest collection since devolution was recorded in the 2023/2024 Financial Year, occasioned by the automation of revenue collection systems. The Finance CECM said the annual revenue potential for Machakos County was Sh6.8 billion, according to a scientific revenue mapping survey done recently.
He said automation of revenue collection had minimized human interaction, but there was a lot of resistance not only from some County Government officers but also from their collaborators who benefited from the status quo.
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The CECM also answered questions related to other departments and general governance.
Mwala Ward MCA Brian Kisila said the County could meet its revenue targets if measures were taken to seal leakages in quarries, building approvals, and land rates.
Speaker Anne Kiusya, who chaired the session, lauded the CECM for delivering a comprehensive report to the Assembly.
By Stephen Muthini.
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