NAIROBI, Kenya—The Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has challenged the Mombasa County Government to strengthen efforts to improve collection of own-source revenue, citing persistent underperformance in key revenue streams despite steady growth in overall collections.
Appearing before the committee, Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir attributed revenue shortfalls to an outdated valuation roll, enforcement challenges and public resistance to the payment of land rates.
The governor revealed that Mombasa had projected to collect Sh1.4 billion from land rates during the 2024/25 financial year but realised only Sh883 million.
“The biggest challenge has been enforcement, compounded by the fact that the county is still relying on a valuation roll prepared in 1991,” Nassir told the committee.
He dismissed claims that the shortfall was caused by leakages in the revenue collection system, insisting that county revenue collection is fully automated and directly linked to bank accounts.
“Our system is fully automated and there is no way payments can be made without being captured and received through the system,” he said.
The governor appeared before the committee alongside senior county officials to respond to audit queries and provide an update on the implementation of Senate recommendations arising from the Auditor-General’s report for the financial year ending June 30, 2025.
Committee Chairperson Senator Moses Kajwang’ acknowledged that Mombasa has recorded notable growth in own-source revenue collection over the past three years. Collections rose from Sh3.9 billion in 2022/23 to Sh4.5 billion in 2023/24 and further increased to Sh4.8 billion in 2024/25.
Nassir attributed the growth to improved financial management, enhanced enforcement measures and revenue collection reforms implemented without introducing new levies.
However, senators raised concerns over the performance of several revenue streams, including cess collections, which generated Sh520 million against a target of Sh780 million. The governor linked the shortfall to disruptions caused by the relocation of some cess collection points.
Land rates remained a major concern during the session, with Senator Kajwang’ noting that the revenue stream accounts for a significant share of the county’s outstanding arrears.
In response, Nassir said the county has launched measures aimed at improving compliance, including digitisation of land records, collaboration with the Registrar of Lands and a review of the county’s valuation roll.
The committee also questioned the performance of Single Business Permit revenue, prompting the governor to reveal that the county has contracted a firm to digitally map businesses operating in Mombasa to widen the revenue base and improve compliance.
The Senate committee urged the county government to accelerate reforms aimed at unlocking revenue potential and reducing dependence on transfers from the national government.
