RESTRUCTURING UNDERWAY TO MAXIMIZE REVENUE COLLECTION AND IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY – GOVERNOR OPARANYA

Kakamega County departments will be restructured to ensure effective operationalization of revenue streams, governor Oparanya has said.

The governor who was addressing CEC members, chief officers, advisers and Sub County Administrators today during a weekly revenue collection updates however cautioned that maximizing revenue collection should not result in any form of coercion and overcharging against wananchi.

He said that some of the county revenue clerks who were sent on compulsory leave will be redeployed while the wayward ones will be disciplined in accordance with laid down government procedures.

He added that a committee will be constituted soon to process the cases expeditiously.

H.E. Governor Oparanya who was flanked by the deputy governor, H.E. Prof. Philip Museve Kutima commended the senior officials for the welcome spike in county revenues since they took over the collection function from revenue clerks two months ago.

“I’m happy to hear positive comments out there about our sucessful strategies in revenue collection. We will do much better if we infuse preventive corruption measures as advised by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission,” he said.

Fighting corruption will be done alongside review of our financial systems to map out gaps and weaknesses, he said.

He directed the County Revenue Agency to start preparations for takeover of revenue collection functions with clear focus on the staff complement, tools and systems.

Virtually all teams deployed at Sub Counties, hospitals and urban areas reported exponential revenue increase with stock rings, single business permits, health facilities and slaughterhouses raking in the bulk of collections.

Also present were CEC members, chief officers, the County Secretary and Head of Public Service, madam Jacinta Aluoch Odhiambo, deputy CS, Mr. Joshua Kutekha, Chief of Staff, Robert Sumbi, County Attorney, Moses Sande, the CEO of the County Revenue Agency, madam Beatrice Memo, PA to the governor, Mr. Herbert Sore, Advisors, heads of departments, Sub County Administrators, among others.