Nairobi, 3rd October 2024
The Revenue Target Setting Conference entered its third day with presentations from the Health, Wellness and Nutrition, Talent and Skills Development and Care, Inclusivity, Public Participation and Citizen Engagement, and Security & Compliance outlining their strategies.
Dr. John Ntoiti, Director of Revenue Administration and Acting CEO of the Nairobi Revenue Authority, opened the session with a strong message to sub-county finance officers. He emphasized the crucial role their input plays in the revenue collection process, urging them to focus on leveraging their strengths for maximum impact.
The session progressed with a structured discussion addressing key matters from previous meetings. Among the main issues raised was the payment of cess and its impact on the revenue system. Concerns were voiced about potential revenue losses, with suggestions to lower the cess fee as a strategy to enhance collection rates.
Another topic of discussion was the conversion of cess payers to the Unified Business Permit (UBP) system. Dr. Ntoiti questioned the progress of this initiative, and any challenges officers faced in implementing the conversion. “His Excellency the Governor has been clear that anyone operating in a location for six months or more should automatically pay UBP, including those in open-air markets,” he said. “It is more affordable to pay for UBP than to pay cess daily.”
The Director also raised concerns about market cleaners and revenue collectors being assigned dual roles, which has impacted cleanliness. Dr. Ntoiti called for a clear separation of duties between sub-county finance officers, trade officers, ward finance officers and cleaners to ensure efficient revenue collection and maintain hygiene in markets.
In response, officers shared several suggestions to enhance the revenue. These included registering cess payers’ businesses based on road and plot numbers, introducing unique codes for those areas, and ensuring enforcement officers are accompanied by technical officers to maximize on revenue mobilization. They also recommended setting up tents for revenue mobilization and balancing staff ratios across sub-counties to ensure fair human resource distribution.
The Health, Wellness, and Nutrition sector outlined strategies such as strengthening leadership and governance in Level 4 hospitals, streamlining revenue management systems across health streams, incorporating private sector participation in revenue generation, and diversifying services to expand the revenue base.
Chief Officer for Public Health, Tom Nyakaba, emphasized that revenue is not the primary focus; rather, the activities conducted by the sector generate revenue. He addressed concerns of leasing out major revenue streams such as food handlers’ certificates and strategizing ways to tap into airport revenue. He also addressed the need for a unified healthcare management system and the introduction of telemedicine in partnership with hospitals.
Dr. Nyakaba informed the officers present that the county would soon adopt a unified healthcare management system. He urged officers to work closely with the public health sector to achieve shared goals.
Talent, Skills Development, and Care suggested generating revenue through the rental of renovated social halls and stadiums.
Security and Compliance proposed strategies to optimize revenue collection and urged leadership to support and implement the suggested measures. They emphasized teamwork and improving communication with sub-county team leads.
The Inclusivity, Public Participation, and Citizen Engagement sector called on sub-county finance officers to empower public participation officers. This would enable them to engage citizens more effectively during public participation forums in sub-counties.
Across all sectors, a common theme emerged: the importance of teamwork and facilitation in driving success.
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