The Meru County Assembly has rejected Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s plan to spend Sh500 million to build houses for the poor in the 2023/2024 financial year.
The MCAs, while passing the Annual Development Plan (ADP) 2023/2024, also docked Sh100 million from Ms Mwangaza’s Sh200 million plan to buy cows for poor families.
The Sectoral Committee on Planning, instead, allocated the extra Sh100 million to agricultural extension services. They told the executive to include goats, chickens and rabbits in the initiative.
“The proposal to issue one cow per needy household [should] be redesigned to [include issuing] goats, rabbits and poultry to organised groups. Further, an implementation and monitoring framework should be developed.”
“The allocation of Sh200 million is reduced to Sh100 million to support extension services for increased agricultural productivity,” Committee chairperson Henry Thuranira stated.
Donors, development partners
The assembly recommended that the governor should seek Sh500 million for the housing programme from donors and development partners.
MCAs also rejected the allocation of Sh100 million towards a humanitarian assistance programme targeting marginalised groups, saying, “The programme should be implemented with support from donors and other partners.”
MCAs also want the allocation for roads increased from Sh300 million to Sh700 million.
The county executive had intended to spend a total of Sh800 million on the dairy cows and housing schemes as well as on humanitarian assistance.
The pro-poor programmes are in line with Ms Mwangaza’s philanthropy platform that won her the governorship.
According to the ADP 2023/2024, which was submitted to the assembly by the finance department, the county needs up to Sh22.4 billion to implement its programmes.
The ADP indicated that the county government was targeting to develop “2,500 simple houses and sanitation facilities’ to improve living standards” for the poor. The administration had also planned to buy up to 5,000 dairy cows.
During her campaigns last year, Ms Mwangaza said she would distribute 50,000 dairy cows in the first year of her administration once elected.
“The one cow per household initiative will be made possible through a budgetary allocation from the county government and donations from my salary as I have been doing as a woman representative,” she added. BY DAILY NATION