Ballooning wage bill gobbles up cash for counties’ development

Latest data on expenditure indicates compensation for employees in counties has increased by 131 per cent from Sh64 billion in the 2013/2014 financial year to Sh148 billion in the 2017/2018 period.

The growth of the wage bill to unsustainable levels in counties is threatening the success of devolution as county executives and assembly officials take the lion’s share of expenditure.

This comes amidst a revenue shortfall in the national government that could cut the equitable share that counties receive from Treasury in next year’s budget.