Governors respond to Nyakango’s expenditure report on ten counties that did not spend any money on development
The Council of Governors has dismissed a report from the Office of the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o, which highlighted that certain County Governments did not allocate funds for development in the initial quarter.
In a Wednesday statement, CoG Chairperson Anne Waiguru acknowledged various challenges faced during the implementation of development projects.
Waiguru highlighted obstacles including procurement processes, the management of county expenditures, and unresolved pending bills as some of the challenges confronting the devolved units.
“All expenditures by County governments must also be approved by the Controller of Budget in line with the Constitution. Therefore, expecting uniform implementation of these and expenditure thereof is not only impractical but also irregular,” Waiguru stated.
As per the Kirinyaga Governor, counties are required to adhere to intricate procurement processes, which at times impede the prompt execution of development expenditure.
“County Governments recognize the importance of ensuring that procurement procedures are meticulous, transparent, and adhere to the law in the spirit of accountability to the people we serve. Currently, it takes about 4 months to complete a procurement process,” said Waiguru.
She mentioned that County Governments settle pending bills before funds are allocated for development expenditure, emphasizing that a significant portion of these pending bills pertain to development.
Furthermore, Waiguru pointed out that the delay in Parliament enacting the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2023, has hindered the distribution of conditional grants to the Counties.
“It is important to note that most of the ongoing development projects are funded by these grants. We further note that to date, Parliament is yet to pass this crucial Bill to allow for release and flow of funds to Counties to pay major projects that are ongoing,” she said.
In the report published on Tuesday, Nyakang’o disclosed that ten counties, namely Nairobi, Machakos, Kilifi, Embu, Wajir, Samburu, West Pokot, Turkana, and Kericho, did not allocate any funds for development expenditures.
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Governors respond to Nyakango’s expenditure report on ten counties that did not spend any money on development
