Kilifi County is grappling with a significant budget shortfall that is putting immense strain on its ability to provide essential services such as healthcare, education, water, and sanitation.
With a budget deficit of 36%, the county faces a critical gap between its projected revenue and actual funds available to execute its development goals.
According to the trends in pro-poor sectors allocation and spending report by the Kenya Human Rights Commission, the county requires Ksh 100.7 billion to implement key projects outlined in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) but anticipates only Ksh 64.9 billion in revenue, leaving a shortfall of Ksh 35.9 billion.
The report is an analysis of the Kilifi county budget and provides an in-depth analysis of the county’s budgetary allocations and expenditures in key sectors that directly affect the poor and marginalized populations.
“From the analysis, the county requires Kshs. 100,770 million to finance programmes and projects under the CIDP but expects revenue totalling Kshs.64,865 million which indicates a Kshs. 35,914 million deficits translating to 36 percent, this has a direct bearing on service delivery,” reads the report.
It covers the 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 financial years. The report examines how public resources are allocated to pro-poor sectors such as health, education, water, sanitation, and agriculture, with a focus on poverty alleviation, economic and equitable growth, and social justice.
Coast region budget hub Kilifi county public facilitator Eric Mgoja noted that the deficit has serious consequences for the communities relying on county services.
“The budget shortfall has affected all sectors in Kilifi County. Health services are among the most affected, especially in rural areas like Kaloleni, Magarini and Ganze, where residents face critical shortages of medical staff, equipment, and medicines. Expectant mothers in these regions are forced to travel long distances, sometimes over 10 kilometers, to access basic maternal health services,” he said
Mgoja said health facilities like Milalani dispensary, Kaloleni multipurpose hall and Mrima mkulu dispensary in Kaloleni Sub County. These projects have stalled for the last eight years. With proper budgetary allocations these projects can be completed,” he added
Maternity services affected
The situation is characterized by incomplete health facility projects, which have stalled due to the lack of funds.
Tobias Mwarabu from Mwarakaya youth initiative in Chonyi sub county said projects like the Pingilikani dispensary maternity wing and a laboratory at Kizingo Health centre have all stalled for many years due to budget constraints.
“The maternity block at Pingilikani dispensary was started eight years ago but it is yet to be completed. This has affected many women as they have to walk long distances to get to the next maternity. This has affected both productivity in our daily activities and the health of our mothers,” said Mwarabu.
Currently there are over 14 stalled health projects across the county.
Rahma Oda from the Youth Voices and Action Initiative said a recent survey conducted at Kiwandani dispensary revealed a huge shortage of medical supplies.
“I was part of the team that carried out the survey and what we discovered is something that needs immediate action. People have to buy most drugs in private chemists because the dispensary has no essential drugs and this boils down to budget constraints,” she said
Education
Education, another vital sector, is also feeling the impact of the budget shortfall. Several schools in Kilifi North and South remain overcrowded, with inadequate teaching staff and insufficient learning materials.
Several ECDE centers have stalled for some time now.
At the Dindiri primary school, two classrooms for the ECD remain incomplete for the third year now.
This has led to poor learning conditions, with students having to study in makeshift classrooms or, in some cases, under trees.
“The classrooms we have cannot accommodate the students that is why we were banking on these classrooms but they are yet to be completed,” says a teacher at a Dindiri primary school in Kilifi South.
The water sector
The water and sanitation sector has not been spared either. Kilifi County’s arid areas, such as Ganze and Magarini, are particularly vulnerable to water shortages.
A plan to renovate and expand the Ndigiria water pan in Ganze has not yet started despite several visits by leaders from the county government.
In Kaloleni, the county government has allocated money to rehabilitate and expand the Kibao cha palakumi Mwijo pipeline since 2021 but the project is yet to be actualized.
The project was expected to address water shortage in Kaloleni Sub County which heavily relies on earth dams. As a result, residents continue to rely on unsafe water sources, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
“We were told that the county would drill a borehole in our village, but that was two years ago, and nothing has happened,” Grace Katana from Gotani in Kaloleni.
Director, governor’s delivery unit (GDU) Fikirini Jacobs while acknowledging the impact of the budget deficit said late disbursement has been the cause of the shortfall.
This is challenging to the county government because we need to adjust our programmes to accommodate the 36% deficit. This directly affects Health, agriculture and education which are pro-poor projects.
Fikirini Jacobs
Jacobs noted that the county has over 60, 000 ECD students most of them learning in dilapidated classrooms.
“With a budget deficit it means we cannot build these classrooms for these children. We cannot effectively revamp vocational training centres and even hospitals. We are working on various revenue-boosting measures, including public-private partnerships and enhancing our revenue collection systems
Civil society organizations have called for greater transparency in the budget allocation process, ensuring that funds are directed toward projects that have the most significant impact on vulnerable communities.
“36% budget deficit is having far-reaching effects on service delivery, particularly in sectors that directly affect the well-being of its residents. As health, education, water, and sanitation projects stall, the lives of thousands of Kilifi residents hang in the balance. The county government must find more effective ways to bridge the revenue gap and ensure that essential services reach the people who need them the most,” said Harold Mwatua from Kilifi Citizen’s forum.
The report further recommends the establishment of a partnership liaison office at the county to improve coordination, funding, inclusivity, accountability, transparency and sustainability of social-economic programmes implemented by different stakeholders.
“This will help deal with duplication of initiatives and ensure that beneficiaries have regular access to required services,” recommended the report
The report acknowledged the delays and shortfalls in disbursements from the National Treasury, which significantly affect their ability to execute the full scope of budgeted projects.
It recommended auditing to be done based on disbursed amounts as opposed to current practice which audits budgeted amounts without considering the actual funds received which unfairly reflect poor performance, even when counties have utilized available resources efficiently.
This is very true Kilifi county has many problem’s.just prs