Controller of Budget raises alarm as over Ksh.13B meant for pending bills diverted

The Controller of Budget (CoB) has raised a red flag over a growing financial indiscipline in counties that she says is exposing taxpayers' money to pilferage.

CoB Margaret Nyakang’o says some counties are now paying pending bills that have not been approved, keeping the approved pending bills waiting.

So far, a sampling done by the Parliamentary Budget Office has revealed that 15,008 transactions of approved pending bills were altered by 15 counties, and instead opting to pay unapproved bills — a total of Ksh.13.2 billion.

“Imagine my office has approved pending bills ABCD... but a county, after receiving the money, goes to pay bills EFG... for us, we could not know until the approved pending bills come to our office to complain,” Nyakang’o said.

The report by the Public Accounts Committee of the Senate chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ shows that Kisumu County, for instance, has total pending bills of Ksh.3 billion, but in the period under review, transactions worth Ksh.2.6 billion were diverted.

The situation is sorry also for Kajiado County. Governor Joseph Ole Lenku’s administration is staring at Ksh.2.3 billion worth of pending bills, with the CoB report showing that the county engaged in fictitious expenditure and diverted Ksh.2.2 billion and paid unapproved entities.

Busia County on its books has Ksh.2.1 billion worth of altered transactions under its pending bills worth Ksh.1.4 billion.

In Bomet County, 845 transactions were affected, with Ksh.2.1 billion diverted to other payments questionable in the Office of the Controller of Budget.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir’s administration is also on the spot for diverting Ksh.921 million to other use outside the approval of the Controller of Budget.

The Nyakang’o-led office now says it wants viewing rights into the counties’ treasury to ensure counties pay only what have been approved.

“We have applied for viewing rights... because as at now we can only approve payments but we don’t know what is paid at the end of the transaction,” stated the CoB.

The Kajwang’-led Public Accounts Committee of the Senate wants investigating agencies to take up the matter and ensure those who have diverted public funds to own benefits are surcharged.