Sunday August 5, 2018
Stephen Astariko
A session at the Wajir county assembly chambers
Health was the biggest winner yesterday in the Sh10.6 billion budget approved by Wajir county assembly.
It received 20 per cent of the allocation. Other sectors that received significant allocations are food security, water, roads and education.
Ward-based projects championed by Governor Mohamed Abdi got priority as well. Each of the 30 wards will receive Sh25 million for development projects.
Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations committee Ibrahim Abass said the Health department, deserves preference because it is crucial.
While tabling the budget, Abbas said the executive continuously engaged the assembly when making the estimates.
NO CHAOS AS FEARED
He said the budget focusses on growth, creating an enabling environment for livestock production through disease control, value addition, marketing and fodder production.
Contrary to fears that the session would be chaotic, as in the past, yesterday the MCAs unanimously passed the estimates.
Abbas said that political differences in the past had made it difficult to transact business.He thanked everyone for making the process a success.
Finance CEC Daud Abdullahi commended the assembly, saying he would carry out the development agenda he promised during the election campaign.
“We still have not allocated adequate resources to ministries and we appeal to our partners to support development and community initiatives,”he said.
The executive cited theWajir sewerage and sanitation project funded by the World Bank and hunger safety net programmes funded through the national government.
Majority leader Mohamud Gabane said last week house disputes have been resolved.
“All the issues that have been bedevilling the house have been resolved. From time to time issues might come up but I assure the public when they arise we will definitely solve them in a civil and mature manner,” he said.