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Commission on Revenue Allocation raises budget ceilings for 2024/25 fiscal year

Council of Governors Chair Anne Waiguru. (Photo: COG)

By Apollo Ochieng | Thursday, February 8, 2024

In the new recommendations by CRA, ceilings for county assemblies in the 2024/25 financial year will now be capped at Sh41.4 billion, up from the Sh40.6 billion that was allocated to the assemblies in the 2023/24 financial year.

The Commission on Revenue Allocation has increased budget ceilings for counties by Sh9 billion for the executive and Sh823 million for county assemblies in the 2024/25 financial year.

This means that county governments will now be able to spend more in the next financial year on salaries, allowances, operations and maintenance, gratuity, pensions, training, and public participation among others.

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According to the CRA, the basis for the increase of the ceilings was to cushion the devolved units against factors such as inflation and the rising cost of living.

County governments have been concerned with their capacity to deliver essential services within the confines of the allocated budgets.

"This has been due to Kenya's prevailing challenges including inflation, the escalating cost of living and the unique requirements of specific regions. The county recurrent expenditure budget ceilings for the 2024-25 financial year have therefore considered some of these concerns," CRA vice-chairperson Koitamet Olekina said.

In the new recommendations by CRA, ceilings for county assemblies in the 2024/25 financial year will now be capped at Sh41.4 billion, up from the Sh40.6 billion that was allocated to the assemblies in the 2023/24 financial year.

The increase, CRA says, is meant to cater for expenses such as allowances for committee sittings, public participation exercises, allowances for county assembly speakers, members of county assemblies, committee chairpersons, and assembly staff among others.

The increase will also cater for other costs such as recommendations for the purchase of official vehicles for use by county assembly speakers, their deputies and MCAs as well as the payment of allowances such as car maintenance among other expenses.

And for the executive wing, the CRA has called for an increase of the budget ceilings from the Sh25.8 billion that was recommended in the 2023/24 financial year, to about Sh34.8 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

According to the CRA, the rise was mostly due to expenditures associated with publication participation as well as operations and maintenance.

The increase will go towards salaries, allowances and gratuity for the governor, deputy governor, county secretary, county executive members, chief officers, chief of staff, advisors, sub-county and ward administrators.

The funds are also expected to cater for costs for allocated staff for Governor and Deputy governors, CPSB and its Secretariat, allowances for audit committees, and training among others.