HEALTH TAKES BIGGEST SLICE OF UASIN GISHU'S KSh 12.99 BILLION BUDGET AS COUNTY UNVEILS DEVELOPMENT-DRIVEN PLAN

By Wasike Elvis 

Health, agriculture, and infrastructure have emerged as the top priorities in the proposed KSh 12.99 billion Uasin Gishu County budget for the 2026/2027 Financial Year, with the health sector receiving the largest allocation of KSh 3.37 billion to improve healthcare services and complete key medical projects across the county.

Presenting the budget estimates before the Uasin Gishu County Assembly on Wednesday, County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning, Micah Rogony, outlined a development-focused spending plan aimed at accelerating economic growth, creating wealth, enhancing service delivery, and ensuring prudent use of public resources.

The proposed budget will be financed through KSh 9.26 billion from the equitable share of nationally raised revenue, KSh 1.4 billion from Own Source Revenue (OSR), KSh 530.65 million in conditional grants, and KSh 708.7 million from Appropriation-in-Aid (AIA).

In a move expected to provide relief to residents and businesses, the county government announced that it will not introduce new taxes, levies, or fees despite proposed amendments contained in the Finance Bill, 2026.

Healthcare remains the county’s biggest investment area, with funds earmarked for the completion and equipping of the Uasin Gishu County Hospital Diagnostic Centre, upgrading health facilities across wards, completing ongoing projects at Moiben, Turbo, and Ziwa hospitals, acquiring additional ambulances, strengthening emergency and referral services, recruiting healthcare workers, digitizing health services, and ensuring a steady supply of essential medicines.

Agriculture and Agribusiness, a key pillar of the county’s economy, has been allocated KSh 729 million. The funding will support agro-processing, irrigation development, value addition initiatives, promotion of high-value crops, farmer training, market access programs, and the revitalization of Agricultural Mechanization Services (AMS) to boost productivity and food security.

Infrastructure development has also received a major boost, with KSh 1.2 billion set aside for roads and related projects. The county plans to operationalize its asphalt plant to speed up road upgrades to bitumen standards, improve rural access roads, and enhance connectivity to markets, schools, and healthcare facilities.

Trade, Industrialization and Cooperative Development will focus on expanding the Fanikisha Hustle and Enterprise Fund to increase access to affordable credit for micro, small and medium enterprises, women, youth, farmers, and entrepreneurs. The county will also prioritize the completion and operationalization of the 64 Champions Market and the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) to strengthen value addition, storage, processing, and market access.

Education and youth empowerment remain central to the county’s long-term development strategy. Planned investments include modernization of Vocational Training Centres into centres of excellence, completion of the Modern Library, Youth Empowerment and Innovation Centre, strengthening ECDE infrastructure, supporting school feeding programmes, providing learning materials, and recruiting more instructors.

The county government says the budget is designed to unlock Uasin Gishu’s productive potential by linking infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, and investment to value addition and expanded market opportunities.

Strategic investments in projects such as the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), the potato processing plant, and high-value agricultural value chains including coffee and avocado are expected to drive industrial growth, create jobs, and transition the county from primary production to processing, branding, and sustainable wealth creation.

If approved by the County Assembly, the budget is expected to significantly accelerate development and improve service delivery across Uasin Gishu County while positioning the region as a leading economic hub in the North Rift.