Fernandes Barasa Urges Speedy Approval of County Funds

Fernandes Barasa Urges Speedy Approval of County Funds
Kakamega County Governor Fernandes Barasa

In a bid to address critical delays affecting county operations, Fernandes Barasa, Chairperson of the Finance Committee in the Council of Governors, has urged the Controller of the Budget to accelerate the approval process for requisitions submitted by county governments.

Barasa highlighted that the approval of requisitions made is taking excessively long. As a result, the county has yet to receive funds disbursed for the month of June, amounting to KSh 30.83 billion.

"For us to ensure that all our health programs and other programs that we are doing across the county, we need to get disbursements from the national government released on time. As we speak right now, we are in arrears for the disbursements for the month of June, close to KSh 30.83 billion. We haven't received the disbursement for the month of June," Barasa stated.

Barasa further revealed that there have been challenges in accessing funds allocated for May and April, urging the Controller to address this issue promptly to enable counties to deliver services and complete various projects.

"With regard to the disbursement for the month of May, we still have a problem in accessing those funds because the Controller of Budget is taking too long to do the approvals of those requisitions. I challenge the budget controller to speed up the approval of all funding requests for the forty-seven counties. This is necessary to ensure that budgets and expenses for June can be processed on time," he emphasized.

Barasa addressed these concerns during the launch of the "Imarisha Afya ya Mama na Mtoto" program, popularly known as "Barasa Care" in Kakamega. The initiative aims to support the wellbeing of children and women by providing financial aid for medical services and food expenses during and after childbirth.

"Mothers are a foundation, strength, and the backbone of our family and society. The launch of this program today reaffirms my commitment to improving the quality of maternal, newborn, and child health services in Kakamega County," Barasa declared.

He assured the women of Kakamega County that they will have access to free antenatal care appointments and high-quality postnatal care in various hospitals within the county. "Through this initiative, our goal is to ensure that mothers attend all antenatal care appointments during pregnancy and give birth in our hospitals under the care of trained healthcare professionals. Additionally, we aim to provide high-quality postnatal care following delivery," he said.

Moreover, Barasa committed to ensuring that children receive all necessary vaccinations, including the HPV vaccine for girls aged nine and above, to combat cervical cancer.

"Furthermore, we are committed to ensuring that infants receive all necessary vaccinations, from the oral polio vaccine right after birth up to the second measles vaccine at 18 months of age. Moreover, we prioritize providing the HPV vaccine to all girls aged nine and above to safeguard them against cervical cancer," he added.

Barasa's appeal underscores the urgent need for timely disbursements to ensure the smooth execution of county programs and the delivery of essential services to the public.