Mombasa County has registered a significant increase in its own-source revenue, collecting Sh4.8 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, up from Sh4.5 billion in 2023/24 and Sh3.9 billion in 2022/23.

Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir revealed the figures while appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) in Nairobi, where he credited the growth to improved revenue management systems, stronger enforcement measures, and enhanced collection strategies implemented by the county government.

According to the governor, the revenue gains were achieved without introducing new taxes or levies, demonstrating the effectiveness of ongoing reforms aimed at boosting local revenue generation.

Members of the committee, led by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’, commended the county for the steady growth but called for greater efforts to address persistent challenges affecting some key revenue streams.

One of the areas of concern was land rates collection, which generated Sh883 million against a target of Sh1.4 billion during the financial year under review.

Governor Nassir attributed the shortfall to difficulties in enforcement, resistance from some property owners, and reliance on a valuation roll that has not been updated since 1991.

He dismissed claims that revenue leakages within the collection system could have contributed to the deficit, emphasizing that the county operates a fully automated revenue collection platform linked directly to its banking systems.

"The system is automated and integrated with our bank accounts, making it impossible for payments to be made without being captured within the system,” Nassir told the committee.

The county also failed to meet its cess revenue target after collecting Sh520 million against a projected Sh780 million.

Despite the shortfall, the amount reflected an improvement from the Sh503 million realized in the previous financial year.

The governor explained that disruptions and the relocation of several cess collection points affected performance during the period.

Senator Kajwang’ observed that land rates continue to be among the most difficult revenue sources for counties to collect and remain a major contributor to outstanding revenue arrears.

The committee encouraged the county administration to strengthen compliance and enforcement measures to unlock additional revenue and sustain the upward trend in local collections.