Number could be higher given that Kakamega and Kilifi counties did not disclose the number of accounts they were operating by the end of the reporting period.
Counties are, under the law, prohibited from operating accounts in commercial lenders, with the rules only allowing the accounts to be maintained at CBK.
County governments more than doubled the number of accounts they operate in commercial banks during the 12 months to March 2025, in 1,763 new openings that have seen the devolved units extend a law breach that hurts accountability efforts.
Analysis of the latest official data from the Controller of Budget (CoB) shows that counties were running 3,431 accounts at commercial banks at the end of March this year, up from 1,668 in March last year.
