Benchmarking curse: Counties spend Sh13b on travel as major projects stall, bills mount

Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o, when she appeared before the National Assembly Public Debt and Privatisation Committee on March 30, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

A damning new report has exposed how county governments are funnelling billions of shillings into luxury travel and conferences while development projects lie abandoned and cash-strapped, hospitals plead for funds — a scandal that comes just 14 months before Kenyans head to the polls to judge their devolved leaders.

The County Budget Implementation Review Report by the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o, reveals that counties spent Sh13.17 billion on domestic and foreign travel in the first nine months of the 2025/26 financial year — money that could have equipped hundreds of health facilities or completed thousands of stalled classroom projects.