By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 9 December 2025 - Siaya Governor James Orengo has highlighted significant gains in the county’s own-source revenue over the past three years, even as he faulted persistent delays in exchequer disbursements for slowing down the implementation of key development projects.
Delivering his State of the County Address at the Siaya County Assembly, Orengo warned that continued delays from the National Treasury have caused the stagnation of several public-prioritised projects, a situation he said could undermine his administration’s performance record heading into the next election cycle.
He noted that many infrastructure and development projects approved in previous budgets stalled because of the accumulation of pending bills, which he directly linked to cash-flow challenges resulting from irregular or inadequate exchequer releases.
Despite these setbacks, the governor expressed optimism that the funding situation would stabilise in the coming year, enabling Siaya residents to finally benefit from long-awaited infrastructure upgrades such as the Usenge, Akala and Sega ring roads, which the county hopes to upgrade to bitumen standards once adequate funds are available.
He reported that the county has invested a total of KSh 6.4 billion in infrastructure over the past three years, with development expenditure rising steadily from KSh 1.35 billion in the 2022/2023 financial year to KSh 2.8 billion in 2023/2024, and further to KSh 3.6 billion in 2024/2025.
According to Orengo, the Controller of Budget, in its most recent review, commended Siaya for placing a strong emphasis on development expenditure, ranking it among the top counties in this respect.
Orengo also pointed to improvements in financial accountability, announcing that Siaya has received unqualified audit opinions for its county revenue for two consecutive years—a significant step forward from earlier adverse opinions affecting several county funds. He described this progress as evidence of a renewed commitment to accountability and proper financial management within his administration.
At the same time, he reported strong growth in the county’s own-source revenue, attributing the gains to the phased rollout of cashless revenue collection systems.
The county collected KSh 508 million in 2022/2023, reflecting an 18% increase from the previous year; KSh 610 million in 2023/2024, marking a further 20% rise; and KSh 948 million in the 2024/2025 financial year—a milestone he credited largely to increased automation.
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The governor predicted even higher returns once all revenue streams are fully automated and the valuation roll is approved by the county assembly, estimating that revenue could double while administrative processes could be reduced by half.
However, the governor acknowledged that pending bills remain a challenge.
He reported that the county’s pending bills stood at KSh 818 million in the 2022/2023 financial year, KSh 761 million in 2023/2024 and KSh 1.1 billion in 2024/2025. Over the same period, Siaya paid KSh 457 million and KSh 609 million respectively, leaving an outstanding balance of KSh 513.8 million at the close of the last financial year. Orengo said his administration has put in place a fiscal framework to reduce the backlog and invited the County Assembly to scrutinise the figures for transparency and confirmation.
In addition to the financial reforms, Orengo outlined efforts to streamline the county workforce, noting that his administration undertook a comprehensive skills audit and introduced performance contracting to enhance efficiency. To address the long-standing problem of ghost workers, the county transitioned from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD) to the Human Resource Information System (HRIS-Kenya), an automated platform that manages payroll and staff records.
Through this system, the county has been able to conduct staff progression analyses and promote more than 1,000 officers.
Orengo has insisted that despite challenges linked to funding delays, Siaya is on a positive development trajectory and remains committed to delivering on its devolution promises.
