Governors dismiss Margaret Nyakang'o's expenditure report

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru [Wilberforce Okwiri/Standard]

The Council of Governors (COG) has dismissed a report by the office of Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o indicating that some County Governments did not spend any money on development.

In a statement on December 20, COG chairperson Ann Waiguru disputed the report saying counties face different challenges in the process of steering development projects.

She cited the approval of county budgets, work plans, and management of county expenditures as some of the challenges.

"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 said.

She further stated the complexity of the counties aligning with the procurement processes which sometimes slows down the uptake 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 four months to complete a procurement process," she added.

She stated that county governments usually pay pending bills before development funds are released and that most of the pending bills are from development projects.

Additionally, the council cited the delay in the enactment of the County Government Additional Allocations Bill, 2023.

"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 the release and flow of funds to Counties to pay for major ongoing projects," Waiguru noted.