By
The Mountain Journal
Laikipia
will get Sh5.1b of the Sh409.9 billion equitable share that will come to
counties.
It
will be a relief to the counties after eight years of struggling with the little
allocation that has failed to meet the devolved demands.
Chairman
of the Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs Committee, at Council of Governor
Ndiritu Muriithi, said he was involved in the negotiations that saw the counties
benefitting in a meeting attended by Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) and
National Treasury.
Photo/Laikipia Governor
The
purpose of the meeting was to adopt a non-contested position ahead of the Inter-Governmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) meeting chaired by Deputy
President William Ruto.
“…for
the first time in many years, the key players, Commission on Revenue
Allocation, Council of Governors, and National Treasury went to IBEC having
agreed on the equitable share to counties of Sh370 billion for the FY
2021/22,” Governor Muriithi.
Back in the villages, the governor said there
will be more developments to match with the increased allocations as health,
road, sports, and education programms will be facilitated to be the best in
service delivery.
In
addition to the equitable share, counties will receive conditional grants
amounting to Ksh39.9 billion, bringing the total allocation for FY 2021/22 to
Ksh409.9 billion.
From the amount, Laikipia will get almost a
billion more than what it will receive this financial year. Other counties will
also get more than what they received in the past meaning more development for
the regions.
Laikipia
could get Ksh4.1 billion if the proposed Constitutional amendment that gives
counties 35percent of shareable revenue goes through. For many months last
year,
At the same same time, the county government has put up measures to
curb the spread of desert locusts that have been heavily affected by the
migrating swarms through the adoption of a mobile phone App.
The
App, E-locust 3m, helps in the easier location of locusts and calls for quick
response for officers to take appropriate action.
When
using the app, the users can give a description and type of the locusts in an
area and also describe the area they have covered.
The
app is user-friendly hence can be used by anyone easily. Once an area has been
affected it has to be treated. “Aerial spray is the most effective one as it
easily covers a large area of swamps. In areas with animals and a human life we
prefer motorized vehicles to avoid the chemicals from causing harm,” confirms
Virginia Nyaguthii County Director Amaya Triangle Initiative.
To
achieve this, the government has trained 200 people to help in the control
measures.
The
200 are drawn from ward levels and will be in contact with officers at the county
level in both county and national government to coordinate the fight against
the invasion.
To coordinate and discuss the preparation of
the whole country to avert the invasion of the desert locust, the Ministry of
Agriculture held a meeting on February 8 In Nairobi which was attended by Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya.
Farmers
and pastoralists are the worse hit when locusts invade a region.
The most affected areas affected
include Ilgwesi, Ole Naishu, Leshau, Sosian, and Salama. You can reach our news
desk on
Telephone – 0719-889-925
