Vihiga: Vihiga County Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo has signed the Sh7.72 billion County Budget and Appropriation Bill for the 2026/2027 financial year, aiming to implement key development programmes focused on clearing pending bills and completing stalled projects. The signing ceremony at the Vihiga County Headquarters included attendance from Deputy Governor Wilberforce Kitiezo, the Deputy Speaker of the County Assembly, Members of the County Assembly, County Executive Committee members, and other stakeholders.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Ottichilo described the budget assent as a critical milestone in advancing the county’s development agenda. He praised the County Assembly, the Department of Finance and Economic Planning, and residents for engaging in public participation during the budget-making process as per the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act. Despite reservations about certain amendments by the Members of the County Assembly, the Governor signed the bill to avoid service delivery delays.
Dr. Ottichilo emphasized that returning the bill to the Assembly could have delayed its implementation until late August or September, affecting development projects. He assured that any budget anomalies would be addressed through a supplementary budget later in the financial year. The Sh7.72 billion budget marks an increase of Sh820 million from the previous year, sourced from the National Government’s equitable share, conditional and unconditional grants, and own-source revenue.
The budget allocates 70 percent for recurrent expenditure and 30 percent for development projects, including Sh4 million per ward for bursaries, Sh15 million for ECDE teacher payments, Sh500 million for procuring non-communicable disease drugs, and Sh12.5 million for health facility infrastructure. The county will prioritize settling pending bills and completing ongoing projects, with Sh402.5 million allocated for local contractor debts.
Dr. Ottichilo stated that paying suppliers is essential for supporting the local economy and maintaining service delivery. The county will suspend launching new projects, focusing instead on completing stalled facilities in health and vocational training sectors, with Sh23 million set aside for projects like the Sabatia Maternity Ward, Kegondi Health Centre, and Iduku Health Centre.
The Governor directed county departments to prepare procurement plans within a week to ensure timely project implementation. As the political season approaches, he urged re-election-seeking Members of the County Assembly to complete ongoing projects, noting that unfinished projects could impact their leadership reputation. He also encouraged leaders to use the Mid-Term Review Report (Mwananchi Version) to inform residents about the county’s development progress.
