Nine Kenyan Governors Under Fire for Stagnant Development Spending

A report by the Controller of Budget has revealed that nine county governments did not spend any money on development projects in the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year. The report, which covers the period from July to September 2023, shows that the counties of Baringo, Bomet, Busia, Garissa, Isiolo, Kirinyaga, Mandera, Marsabit and Migori did not utilize any of their development budgets, despite receiving funds from the national government and collecting their own revenues.

According to the report, the nine counties received a total of Sh23.8 billion from the national government as equitable share, and collected another Sh2.1 billion from local sources in the first quarter. However, they only spent Sh13.6 billion, which represents 52.4% of their total revenue, on recurrent expenditure such as salaries and operations. The remaining Sh12.3 billion, which was meant for development projects such as roads, health facilities and water supply, was not spent at all.

The report also indicates that the nine counties had a combined pending bill of Sh8.9 billion, which means that they owed money to contractors and suppliers who had completed their work or delivered goods and services. This implies that the counties not only failed to initiate new development projects, but also failed to pay for the ones that had been completed or were ongoing.

The poor performance of the nine counties has raised concerns among the public and the civil society, who have accused the governors and the county assemblies of mismanagement and negligence. Some of the governors have also faced criticism from their political rivals, who have questioned their suitability to lead their counties.

The governors of the nine counties have defended themselves by giving various reasons for their dismal performance. Some of them have blamed the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted their operations and reduced their revenue collection. Others have cited delays in the disbursement of funds from the national government, which affected their cash flow and planning. Some have also claimed that they inherited huge debts from their predecessors, which limited their ability to spend on development.

The Controller of Budget has urged the county governments to improve their budget implementation and expenditure reporting, and to prioritize the payment of pending bills. The report also recommends that the county governments should enhance their revenue collection and management, and ensure that they adhere to the Public Finance Management Act and other relevant laws and regulations.

The report comes at a time when the county governments are facing a number of challenges, such as the ongoing stalemate over the Division of Revenue Bill, which determines how much money they receive from the national government, and the proposed constitutional amendments, which seek to increase their allocation and create new administrative units. The report also serves as a reminder of the need for accountability and transparency in the devolved system of governance, which was introduced in 2013 to bring services closer to the people and reduce inequalities among regions.