The Kiambu County Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to raise Sh7.9 billion in own-source revenue (OSR) in the 2023/2024 financial year, nearly doubling its current annual collection of Sh4.1 billion. The target—Kiambu’s highest since devolution—will support a proposed Sh21–22 billion county budget and is expected to be achieved without raising existing taxes, fees, or levies. Governor Kimani Wamatangi said the county has for years lost billions due to weak revenue systems, rampant manipulation, and failure to tap into key revenue streams, and his new administration is banking on technology-driven reforms to reverse the trend.
To close gaps in collection, Kiambu is installing a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that will integrate all revenue modules, including hospital charges, business permits, building approvals, property rates, agricultural transportation fees, and liquor licensing. This overhaul comes after audits exposed systemic weaknesses—including fake payment slips used by revenue officers, long downtimes in the former building approvals platform (EDAMS), and rampant diversion of payments. A recent Rapid Response Initiative on revenue unearthed even more losses, with one case now under police investigation after county finance officers allegedly redirected payments from a major poultry company to issue business permits for unrelated traders. According to the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) and World Bank’s OSR study, Kiambu has the potential to collect over Sh13 billion annually, with property rates alone carrying a capacity of Sh7–9.3 billion.
Under the proposed budget, the Health Department is set to receive the largest allocation at Sh7.69 billion, followed by Roads and Transport at Sh2.569 billion, Finance at Sh1.7 billion, Education at Sh1.54 billion, and Agriculture at Sh1.4 billion. Governor Wamatangi says the new ERP system and cashless revenue processes will restore transparency, speed up service delivery, and eliminate corruption—particularly in areas such as building approvals, where manual processing has already cleared more than 1,500 applications in one month after years of backlog. County officials believe the reforms will not only unlock dormant revenue potential but also strengthen public confidence in county services as Kiambu works toward sustainable development.