Oparanya to spend close to Sh3billion on projects : The Standard

The county government has tabled a development plan for the current financial year, which will see projects in the health sector and infrastructure given priority. The projects are going to gobble up close to Sh3 billion of the county budget, according to Governor Wycliffe Oparanya. Already, Sh2 billion has been allocated to the health sector. According to Mr Oparanya, the money will go towards equipping health facilities across the county. Oparanya, who was speaking during the official opening of the third session of the county assembly on Tuesday, said one of the hospitals to be equipped is the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital.

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“The hospital has a 750-bed capacity and part of the money will be used in equipping it with beds, machines and drugs. We will also equip Shiamakhubu and Mumias Level Four hospitals,” said Oparanya. More money will also be spent in upgrading health centres in Khwisero, Shinyalu, Mumias East and Mumias West and Navakholo sub-counties, according to the governor. NHIF medical cover He added that the county is registering 114 households per ward, in a programme aimed at enrolling the families in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) medical cover. A total of 8,840 people from these families have already been registered under NHIF.

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Another Sh383 million, which is a grant from the World Bank, will be used in upgrading infrastructure in Kakamega and Mumias towns, said Oparanya. “The upgrade is to ensure Kakamega attains city status by 2022. Mumias town on the other hand should achieve municipal status,” said the governor. Industrialise county The governor also announced fresh allocations to projects that are intended to industrialise the county. The allocations, according to Oparanya, will go into manufacturing and the provision of energy. He said Kakamega had partnered with the Rural Electrification Authority (Rea) in a deal worth Sh240 million that will see poor families get electricity.

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The county will pump Sh120 million into the project. Rea will also put in an equal amount of money.

Related Topics

Governor Wycliffe OparanyaSh2 billionProjectsRural Electrification AuthorityNHIF