Kilifi County government has set a revenue target of Ksh 2 billion as it launches aggressive revenue sensitization programs in the county.

The county has been lagging behind in revenue collection as Governor Gideon Mung’aro blamed corruption among staff and residents.

Speaking during the launch of a one-week revenue sensitization exercise at the Cunty headquarters on Monday February 24, 2024, Mung’aro said that all 598 county employees from all departments will go round the county to check on revenue compliance among businesses and investors.

“For the defaulters it is very simple, they pay or we arrest them and present them to court,” he said.

The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance Yaye Shosi said that the county was capable of collecting more than Ksh4 billion in revenue annually and that digitization of the revenue systems will enable that to be achieved.

“Very few counties have digitized their revenue systems and Kilifi County is among them and this year we have set a target of Sh. 2 billion but we can collect Sh. 4 billion if all investors and businesses own up,” said Shosi.

Felkin Kaingu who is the CECM for Education and ICT lauded the program saying that his department was among the heavy consumers of revenue with a budget of between Ksh1.5 and Ksh1.6 billion annually.

“The revenue shortfalls that we have actually had as a county have basically interfered with the budgetary allocations and programs and what this program is doing is to ensure that the gaps that are there within the budget are basically filled,” he said.

Written by Alphonce Gari, TV47 correspondent