By Eunice Omollo
On 10 July 2022, four candidates for governor of Kajiado County met in a televised debate. They were Katoo ole Metito of the United Democratic Alliance, David ole Nkedianye of the Jubilee Party, Joseph Ole Lenku of the Orange Democratic Movement and Ambrose Nganga, an independent candidate.
Nkedianye, who represents the Jubilee Party, made a claim about revenues in the county. “When I left the revenue was about KSh800 million. Right now it is at KSh200 million,” the former governor said.
Reports on local revenues collected by counties are published quarterly by the Controller of Budget.
| Own Source Revenues for Kajiado County 2016/2017 to 2021/2022 | |
| Financial Year | Own Source Revenue (KSh million) |
| 2016/2017 | 499.58 |
| 2017/2018 | 726.69 |
| 2018/2019 | 1,072.33 |
| 2019/2020 | 616.80 |
| 2020/2021 | 862.29 |
| 2021/2022* | 456.83 |
Source: Controller of Budget
* Third Quarter report includes nine months
“When I left the revenue was about KSh800 million”
The Kenya Editors Guild Fact-checking Desk asked the former governor to clarify which revenues he meant, and particularly whether he meant county own-source revenues.
He replied that the revenue that he meant was indeed own-source revenue and the year he referred to when he left office was the year 2016/2017.
Records from the controller of budget show that Kajiado’s own-source revenue in 2016/2017 was KSh500 million, KSh300 million less than the KSh200 million David ole Nkedianye stated.
Inaccurate
“Right now it is at KSh200 million.”
The most recent figures of full year own-source revenue available according to the Controller of Budget are for the 2020/2021 financial year. They show that Kajiado county earned KSh862 million that year, far more than the claim of KSh200 million.
In each of the five most recent financial years, own-source revenue in Kajiado County has been above KSh200 million.
In the first nine months of the 2021/2022 financial year, according to the most recent report available from the controller of budget, Kajiado raised KSh457 million, KSh257 million more than David ole Nkedianye’s claim.
Inaccurate
The incumbent governor, Joseph ole Lenku, also contrasted the revenues his predecessor was collecting with his own efforts over the current term. “During the time of Dr Nkedianye, the county was collecting tax of KSh350 million. During my time, that tax has gone to KSh1.2 billion,” Joseph Ole Lenku said.
Once again, we looked to reports from the controller of budget to see how much revenue was collected in Kajiado County’s first ever term.
| Own Source Revenues for Kajiado County 2013/2014 to 2016/2017 | |
| Financial Year | Own Source Revenue (KSh million) |
| 2013/2014 | 505.37 |
| 2014/2015 | 786.20 |
| 2015/2016 | 650.99 |
| 2016/2017 | 499.58 |
Source: Controller of Budget
“During the time of Dr Nkedianye, the county was collecting tax of KSh350 million.”
The first county governors were elected during the general election of 4 March 2013, after a court ruled the election would be delayed from 2012. In each of the four full years of the first term, Kajiado County collected at least KSh 149 million more than the KSh350 million Joseph Ole Lenku claimed, with the lowest amount being KSh500 million in 2016/2017.
Inaccurate
“During my time, that tax has gone to KSh1.2 billion.”
Joseph Ole Lenku was elected governor of Kajiado County in the 2017 general election. From the 2017/2018 financial year to the current 2021/2022 financial year, the largest collection of own-source revenues took place in 2018/2019, when KSh1.07 billion was collected (see table above).
The governor overstates the correct amount by more than KSh120 million.
Inaccurate
