Servicing pending bills impedes development in Vihiga

Vihiga County Government has paid about Kshs 1.9 billion of a total of Kshs 2.2 billion of pending bills in the past four years.

Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo said his Administration inherited a debt of Sh. 2.2 billion in the year 2017, but it now stands at Sh. 318 million.

Speaking during his Fourth Annual State of County Address at Kidundu Stadium, Wednesday, Dr. Ottichilo said servicing of the bills has impeded the implementation of development projects.

“We were unable to budget for and implement development programmes we had planned in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) of 2018-2022, due to this problem,” he said.

He stated that in the Financial Year 2020-2021, the Budget was about Sh. 6.6 billion comprising of Sh. 2.6 (40 per cent) development Budget, while Sh. 3.9 billion (60 per cent) recurrent budget where the absorption rate was 79 per cent and 93 per cent effectively.

The County Head said they have prioritized agri-business, education and health services which are key to socio-economic development.

He pointed out that 748 micro-projects proposals have been funded to the tune of Sh. 280 million under the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) enabling thousands of residents to generate income.

The Governor added that they have constructed and commissioned a five-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Vihiga County Referral Hospital (VCRH) and renovated the casualty wing of the facility.

“We have constructed 23 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres, renovated 27 Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) and disbursed bursary to 26, 970 students in secondary and tertiary institutions,” he said.