Auditor General: Bungoma among few counties with low pending bills

BUNGOMA, KENYA: The County Government of Bungoma had a pending bill of Sh95 million as at July 2016 contrary to allegations that it could be more, the Office of the Auditor General has said.

The Auditor General, supported by the Budget Office, says the county, led by Governor Ken Lusaka, could be one of the few counties in the country with such a low amount of pending bills. "Counties are grappling with high levels of pending bills. However, the Bungoma County's book of accounts shows that it has Sh95 million as a pending bill," a source in the Office of the Auditor General said.

A statement from the County's Director of Communications Mark Kapchanga sent to media last evening corroborated this assertion, saying that the "county government had always been committed to honouring its obligation in a timely manner depending on the availability of resources."

Governor Lusaka says his administration is determined to clear the Sh95-million bill "in the next few months". "I am aware that our opponents are perpetually using this as a bait to criticise our work. However, it won't take long before we pay it off," he said.