The Nairobi County Government will fall short of its revenue target for the Financial Year 2023/2024, which stands at Kes.19.9 billion.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja had expressed optimism about reaching the target following changes implemented since he assumed office. However, the county is experiencing a shortfall of Kes.7 billion.
Mr. Wilson Gakuya, the County Chief Officer in charge of Revenue Administration, disclosed that despite missing the target, the county is poised to achieve its highest revenue collection since the advent of devolution. He noted that based on revenue projections, the county is on track to surpass its previous record under the leadership of Dr. Evans Kidero.
“We are currently at approximately Ksh12 billion, with a few days remaining in the month. Even in the worst-case scenario, we are expected to exceed the highest target reached during Governor Kidero’s tenure, which was Ksh12 billion, and potentially reach Ksh13 billion,” stated Mr. Gakuya in an interview.
He emphasized that while the county may not meet its target, the upward trend in performance is encouraging.
“The implementation of the structures we’ve established will facilitate this. By the next financial year, we anticipate further improvement due to the solid structures in place,” he added.
The county attributes its progress to the introduction of the Unified Business Permit, aimed at streamlining licenses, which has resulted in faster rate payments by residents.
“We are making progress, although there is room for improvement. Continuous enhancements are evident, enabling us to achieve the highest revenue collection ever witnessed in Nairobi,” Gakuya remarked.
He also credited the success to the controversial revenue collection system known as the Nairobi Revenue System (NRS), developed by the government and utilized since the inception of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).
