Mombasa records steady growth in revenue collection despite land rates challenges

Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, accompanied by senior county officials including County Executive Committee Member for Finance Evans Oanda, appeared before the committee on Thursday to respond to audit queries and provide a status report on the implementation of Senate recommendations made on March 31, 2026.

The committee led by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang noted that the County’s revenue had spiralled from Ksh.3.9 billion in the financial year 2022/2023 to Ksh.4.5 billion by June 2024, then another increase to Ksh. 4.8 billion by June 2025.

 The committee’s focus was largely on the Receiver of Revenue Report for the year under review.

According to governor Nassir, the growth was because of prudent financial management, proper enforcement measures, as well as enhanced revenue collection mechanisms done by his administration without increasing taxes.

"Our system is fully automated. It is linked directly to our bank accounts, and I can state confidently that there is no way payments can be made without being captured and received through the system," he said.

Further, Nassir indicated that Mombasa had initiated measures to address land rates, including the digitization of land records, collaboration with the Registrar of Lands and a review of the county’s valuation role.

Parliament reports that their Cess collection for 2024/2025 of 520 million represented an increase from the Ksh.503 million collected in the 2023/24 financial year.

However, the committee flagged some revenue streams which had registered a decline during the period under review, including Cess collections. The County had a target of Ksh.780 million in Cess collection, but instead collected 520 million.

Also, Senator Kajwang observed that land rates account for a significant portion of the country’s revenue arrears, raising concerns about policy and enforcement challenges.

The Senator alluded that the failure to meet the target was a result of leakages within the revenue collection system.

In response, the governor attributed the shortfall to disruptions and the relocation of some Cess collection points. Further, Nassir blamed prolonged litigation and the use of outdated valuation rolls as contributors to this challenge.

The County Public Accounts Committee directed the Mombasa County Executive to intensify efforts to address challenges affecting the collection of its own-source revenue streams.