The Meru Municipality board chairperson Kirimi Mungania has dismissed claims that taxes will rise once Meru town attains city status, assuring residents that no new levies are planned.
He clarified that existing revenue will instead be redirected to improve services and infrastructure within the municipality.
Speaking at his office, Mungania said public concern had been fueled by misinformation from critics, stressing that the transition to city status is intended to enhance development rather than burden taxpayers.
“Let me tell them that we aren’t increasing taxes, but the taxes already being collected will be used for development within the municipality,” he said.
He explained that currently about 70 percent of revenue collected from the municipality is spent across the wider Meru County rather than being reinvested where it is generated.
He said that the municipal board is pushing for a system that ensures locally collected funds benefit residents directly through visible projects such as road paving, drainage improvements, and expanded water access.
Mung’ania emphasized that residents should focus not on fears about city status, but on whether the taxes they already pay are translating into tangible services.
In addition, he noted that many municipal services have lagged because resources generated locally have not been retained for local use.
He cited sanitation as an example, saying the municipality has struggled to modernize its operations due to limited reinvestment.
“Almost all the vehicles that we have are the ones that were bought by the municipal council fifteen years ago. That means that for fifteen years, the county hasn’t been able to buy new garbage collection vehicles because the municipality is not functional,” he said.
He added that restoring financial autonomy to the municipality would allow it to upgrade essential equipment, expand waste management capacity, and improve urban infrastructure.
The chairperson expressed appreciation to Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia and Deputy Governor Lindah Kiome for pledging to transfer functions legally assigned to municipalities so that the local administration can operate more effectively.
He indicated that the move would enable the town to accelerate development projects and improve service delivery.
Nonetheless, Mung’ania adressed residents’ concerns about water shortages, acknowledging that supply has dropped significantly in recent months, largely due to declining water levels in Kathita River.
He said the reduced flow has affected treatment capacity at MEWASS, leading to rationing schedules in which water is available for only a few days at a time before supply is interrupted again.
He explained that in some stretches of the river, stones that are usually submerged are now visible, illustrating the severity of the shortage.
Despite the current challenges, Mungania said there is optimism that a long-term solution is on the horizon.
He announced that the national government has announced plans to build a dam which he termed as a critical intervention that would stabilize supply, reduce reliance on seasonal river levels, and support the town’s growth if it becomes a city.
“We have hope because the national government has issued an advertisement to construct a dam in the forest so that we do not have to entirely depend on River Kathita for water,” he said.
The chairperson urged residents to remain patient and to support efforts aimed at strengthening municipal governance structures.
He reiterated that achieving city status would not automatically change tax rates but would instead provide administrative and financial frameworks designed to improve planning, infrastructure, and public services.
