How Turkana County Plans to Generate Thirteen Billion Shillings Locally
Lodwar, 24 August 2026
In August 2026, Turkana County leaders proposed retaining ten billion shillings in annual capital outflows to boost local revenue to thirteen billion shillings, aiming for financial independence.
Plugging the Capital Leaks through Asset Monetisation
To transition away from historical dependence on national government disbursements, Turkana County’s leadership has proposed an ambitious economic pivot designed to plug massive capital flight [1]. Currently, the county relies heavily on an equitable national revenue share of Ksh 13 billion [1]. However, Governor Dr Jeremiah Lomorukai and Deputy Governor Dr John Erus argue that the county can achieve financial autonomy by retaining the estimated Ksh 10 billion that flows out of the region annually [1]. These capital outflows occur through daily payments for mobile phones, solar energy systems, and motorbike financing [1]. On 23 August 2026, the county executive formally presented a proposal to the county assembly and development partners to shift from traditional licensing and market fees to monetising local assets, including livestock, fish, water, waste management, and solar energy [1].
Comparing Ambitions with Historical Performance
The target of generating Ksh 13 billion in Own Source Revenue (OSR) represents a massive leap from the county’s historical collection figures [1]. Over the last three financial years, Turkana collected a cumulative total of 1107 million shillings in OSR, comprising Ksh 177 million in 2022/2023, Ksh 530 million in 2023/2024, and Ksh 400 million in 2024/2025 [1]. To bridge this gap, the administration plans to establish local cooperatives, a dam, an abattoir, and a local solar plant to convert daily external payments into internal savings [1]. If successful, Turkana’s OSR would rival established top-tier revenue-generating counties such as Nairobi, which collected Ksh 13.19 billion in the 2024/2025 financial year, and surpass Mombasa and Narok, which generated Ksh 5.13 billion and Ksh 5.69 billion respectively in the same period [1].
Integrating Refugee Hosting into National Funding Formulas
A key pillar of Turkana’s financial strategy involves advocating for its unique demographic realities to be recognised in national funding frameworks [1]. The county, which hosts the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement [GPT], is pushing for refugee-hosting status to be formally adopted as a criterion for national revenue allocation under the KISEDP and Shirika Plan programmes [1]. Deputy Governor Dr John Erus has actively called upon the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) to integrate this status into Kenya’s revenue-sharing formula [1]. By doing so, the county aims to secure more structured resources that benefit both the host community and the refugee population, ensuring shared progress and improved public infrastructure [1].
Regional Resource Dynamism and Mineral Wealth
Beyond structural fiscal reforms, Turkana is looking to diversify its revenue streams by leveraging its rich natural resource base, including oil, gas, extractives, minerals, and the development of the Lake Turkana ferry project [1]. This focus on mineral wealth mirrors a broader economic dynamism in the North Rift region [GPT]. For instance, in neighbouring West Pokot County, a major gold rush occurred on 21 August 2026, when approximately 10,000 people from across Kenya and Uganda descended on Cheporor village in Kanyarkwat [2]. The influx followed the discovery of gold by three young shepherds searching for a lost goat [2]. While Deputy County Commissioner Samuel Kiarie highlighted subsequent challenges regarding water scarcity, congestion, and security, the event underscores the vast, untapped mineral potential of Kenya’s western counties, which Turkana hopes to sustainably exploit to fuel its own-source revenue goals [1][2].