Here are the areas on Kenya Power’s scheduled electricity interruption, for maintenance, today:

Nairobi County collected the highest amount of revenue for the 2017/2018 financial year. This is contained in the Annual County Governments Budget Implementation Review Report for the 2017-2018 financial year prepared by the controller of Budget, Mrs. Agnes Odhiambo. In the report, ‘the Nairobi City County generated the highest amount of own source revenue at KShs. 10.11 billion, followed by Mombasa and Nakuru at KShs. 3.16 billion and KShs. 2.28 billion respectively. Counties that generated the lowest amount were Lamu, Tana River and Mandera at KShs. 55.29 million, KShs. 56.63 million and 61.82 million respectively.’

“Analysis of own source of revenue as a proportion of the annual revenue target indicates that three counties namely: Tana River, Migori and Kwale exceeded their targets at 188.8 per cent, 111.1 per cent and 100.5 per cent respectively. Conversely, the counties that recorded the lowest proportion of own source revenue against annual targets were Garissa at 34.7 per cent, Kisii at 27 per cent and Mandera at 26.8 per cent,” Odhiambo says, in the report.

The controller of budget authorized the release of KShs. 306.2 billion from the consolidated fund to the counties for operations during the period under review. Of the 47 counties, Nairobi got the lion share at KShs. 21.13 billion followed by Kiambu county which got KShs. 11.92 billion while, Kakamega got 10.97 billion to rank at position three. ‘The Counties that received the least amounts were: Tharaka Nithi at KShs. 3.78 billion, Isiolo at KShs. 3.76 billion and Lamu at KShs. 2.36 billion.’ The report shows that Nairobi County, Mandera County, Murang’a County and Laikipia County top in the list of counties that spent more than the total funds authorized for withdrawal by the Controller of Budget.

On development, Mandera county recorded the highest expenditure on development activities at KShs. 3.89 billion, followed by Kakamega and Kitui counties at KShs. 3.88 billion and KShs. 3.28 billion respectively. The report ranks Lamu, Vihiga and Taita Taveta counties as counties with the lowest development expenditure at Kshs. 361.27 million, Kshs. 297.47 million and 206.45 million respectively.

Nairobi county again topped in the list of counties that spent the highest amount of revenue on recurrent expenditures (like rents, salaries and bills) at Kshs. 22.36 billion followed by Kiambu and Nakuru Counties at 8.93 billion and KShs. 7.98 billion respectively. ‘The counties with the lowest expenditure on recurrent activities were: Tana River at Kshs. 2.26 billion, Isiolo at Kshs. 2.25 billion and Lamu at Kshs. 1.7 billion respectively.

The Members of County Assemblies, MCAs, received lesser sitting allowances against the approved budget allocation. The report indicates that: “The county Assemblies spent Kshs. 1.46 billion on MCAs sitting allowances against the approved budget allocation of Kshs. 2.34 billion. On average, four County Assemblies reported higher expenditure on MCAs’ sitting allowances than the monthly ceiling recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, SRC, of Kshs. 80,000. These were: Kakmega at Kshs. 124,800, Marsabit at Kshs. 120,968, Tana River at Kshs. 93,599 and Taita Taveta at Kshs. 80,760.”

The office of the Controller of Budget now says that it has identified some challenges that affected budget implementation during the financial year under review. “These challenges included: high expenditure on personal emoluments (Salaries), delay in submission of financial reports by county treasuries to the Controller of Budget, under performance of own source revenue collection, high pending bills and delay in establishment of internal audit committees,” Mrs. Odhiambo concludes.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP Noordin M. Haji, has this morning issued a statement on the investigations into the alleged fraudulent advertisement and payments by the Government advertising Agency. This comes after last night’s arrest of Hon. Ayub Savula, the Lugari Legislator, one of the GAA directors, then. See full presser, below:

It will now cost you more to use mobile services on the Safaricom platform. Kenya’s leading Telecommunications Company, in terms of Subscribers, Safaricom has announced that it will revise its mobile tariffs upwards, tonight. Short Message Services, SMS, will go up by 10 cents per an SMS. While, both voice and data costs will be increased by 10 cents each.

Safaricom announces that the decision has been reached after the increased mobile services taxes which were passed in the Finance Act of 2018.

“Therefore, as a result of the increased taxes passed in the Finance Act 2018, we wish to notify our customers that from midnight tonight, the 18th October 2018, our headline price for voice calls and data will increase by 30 cents and SMS by 10 cents,” said the Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore a statement, today.

the Energy Regulatory Commission, ERC, has reviewed prices for petroleum products. These new prices will be in force for the next 30 days. Check the press statement from the ERC, below:

“In accordance with Legal Notice No.196 of 2010, the Energy (Petroleum Pricing) Regulations and the amendment thereof, @energy_ke has calculated the maximum retail pump prices of petroleum products, which will be in force from 15th October to 14″ November 2018.

Taking into account the weighted average cost of imported refined petroleum products, changes in maximum allowed petroleum prices in Nairobi are as follows: Super Petrol decreases by KShs. 1.06 while Diesel and Kerosene increase by KShs.1.60 and KShs. 0.43 per litre respectively .

The prices are inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) at 8% in line with the provisions of the Finance Act 2018.

The changes in this month’s prices have been as a consequence of:

1. The average landed cost of imported Super Petrol decreasing by 1.99% from US$ 743.85 per ton in August 2018 to US$ 729.04 per ton in September 2018;

2. The average landed cost of imported Diesel increasing by 2.11% from US$ 685.95 per ton to US$ 700.41 per ton and Kerosene increasing by 0.60% from US$ 717.30 per ton to US$ 721.64 per ton.”

Supportive images for the ERC’s press statement and pump prices across the country are attached, here, below:

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Massive areas to be affected by today’s scheduled power interruptions, see images & pdf memo below:

• KPLC Scheduled power outage for, Sunday, 14.10.2018

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Kenyan gospel artist Kevin Bahati, popularly known as Bahati, has landed in ‘hot soup’ after a photo taken from a recent visit to his grand parents leaked, online.

In the photo, Bahati is pictured in the company of his wife (Diana), child and grand father. At the background is a dilapidated structure, ostensibly belonging to his grandmother.

Bahati who runs a popular show on NTV on Saturdays after 7 pm news has been castigated for failing to put up a better house for his grand parents. In the show, Bahati displays opulence at his own house.

(Photos courtesy of Kevin Bahati).

Online users did not have kind words for Bahati:

@Karies_jnr wrote:  “Kumbe kazi ni kujichocha huku na grandy are staying in historical site (You brag and your grand parents stay in an old structure). You should look what Akothee built for her parents and think twice. Bahati Kenya (Kevin Bahati) was bragging that he used more than 10M to surprise his wife with a brand new house. 6M by buying Diana (Bahati’s wife) the car of her dreams. He gave Diana’s mother 5M as dowry. Shame on you.”