Nairobi, Machakos, Mandera on the spot as Controller of Budget flags counties over increased pending bills

The Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakango, is raising the alarm over the continued increase in pending bills across counties.

Nyakango says that governors have not only failed to pay previous contractors and suppliers but have also engaged new suppliers, worsening the crisis.

A report by the Controller of Budget has highlighted governors who assumed office in 2022 and have failed to settle existing pending bills, allowing them to balloon over the past two years.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is under scrutiny for increasing pending bills by Ksh.19 billion in just two years. In 2022, Sakaja inherited Ksh.99 billion in pending bills, which have now risen to Ksh.118.4 billion over 24 months. Nairobi City County reported the highest outstanding pending bills, representing 65.1% of the total bills across the 47 county governments.

Kiambu County increased its pending bills by Ksh.600 million in the same period, with the Controller of Budget questioning why governors have maintained a "can't pay, won't pay" approach.

Mandera Governor Adan Khalif inherited Ksh.5 million in pending bills from his predecessor, but within 24 months, Mandera is now burdened with a Ksh.2.2 billion debt in unpaid bills.

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti inherited Ksh.809 million in unpaid bills, but rather than settling them, she has added Ksh.3.4 billion more in pending bills.

The Controller of Budget also flagged Mombasa, Bungoma, and Kisumu counties as regions recording high levels of pending bills.

As pending bills continue to mount, county revenue collection remains unimpressive.

Kiambu County leads in increased revenue collection, with Governor Wamatangi’s administration collecting Ksh.4.6 billion in 2023, up from the Ksh.3.1 billion collected by his predecessor in the same period.

Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu also boosted his county's revenue collection, achieving 95% of its target by collecting Ksh.4.7 billion, an increase of Ksh.3.3 billion.

However, several counties, including Machakos, Mandera, Nyamira, Kajiado, Bungoma, and Busia, have missed their revenue collection targets.

The Controller of Budget now urges counties to increase their own-source revenue collection to help settle the ballooning pending bills.