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Pending bills, stalled projects heap pressure on North Rift governors
A County Assembly during a past session. MCAs in North Rift counties have said that the ballooning wage bill has affected the implementation of key development projects and the settlement of pending bills.
Most governors in the North Rift region are under pressure to settle pending bills amounting to millions of shillings as financial audit reports indicate underutilisation of funds earmarked for development projects.
The county administrations have come under criticism over delays in paying suppliers and contractors, even as it emerges that most of the counties are struggling to implement their development blueprints and tackle corruption allegedly committed by previous administrations.
Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) have tabled motions seeking to compel governors to fast track the settlement of the debts.
In Turkana County, Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai's administration has allocated Sh1.02 billion in the 2026/2027 financial year to pay contractors and suppliers as part of its commitment to clear pending bills.
“We know that there are works that have been completed but are yet to be paid for. We want to ensure that our contractors and suppliers are paid so that we get value for money from projects and work that has already been done,” said County Finance and Economic Planning Executive Roseline Aite while presenting the Sh17.9 billion budget estimates.
Last month, contractors and suppliers wrote to the Controller of Budget alleging diversion of funds by the Turkana County Government.
“Our members have noted recurring and systematic discrepancies between funds requested by the county government and actual payments. We are concerned that your office continues to approve fund requisitions for the Turkana County Government despite clear evidence that vouchers used to justify these requests, many of which have been at the internet banking final stage since January, are repeatedly bypassed once the funds are received,” said Stanley Erupe, acting chairman of the Turkana Suppliers and Contractors Association.
According to MCAs, the ballooning wage bill is among the factors affecting the implementation of key development projects and the settlement of pending bills.
Under the budget estimates, priority allocations were made to Health (Sh1.2 billion), Agriculture and Land Reclamation (Sh1.2 billion), Finance (Sh1.1 billion), Decentralised Administration and Disaster Management (Sh1.1 billion), the County Assembly (Sh1.1 billion), Early Childhood Education and Social Protection (Sh901.6 million), and Water Services (Sh832.2 million).
In Trans Nzoia, the devolved unit is targeting Sh1 billion in own-source revenue in the 2026/2027 financial year to boost service delivery.
Governor George Natembeya has attributed the low revenue collection to poor planning and leakages in the collection system.
“We are working on ways to streamline our revenue collection and attain our target of Sh1 billion in own-source revenue,” said Mr Natembeya.
According to the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), Trans Nzoia has the potential to collect up to Sh1.8 billion.
“The CRA report indicates that we can collect up to Sh900 million as own-source revenue. We must bridge the gap between our current performance and our potential,” Mr Natembeya said.
Nandi County has unveiled a development budget of Sh3.89 billion, outlining significant investments in health infrastructure, education, road construction and water projects.
In the budget estimates tabled by County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning Alfred Lagat, the Health and Sanitation sector received substantial allocations, including Sh43 million for equipping the Mother and Child Health Unit at Kapsabet County Referral Hospital, with an additional Sh352 million expected under the Kenya Devolution Support Programme Phase II.
The Transport, Public Works and Infrastructure Development sector received Sh458.27 million for ward-based road projects.
In the education sector, Mr Lagat allocated Sh120 million for the county bursary scheme to support needy students in secondary and tertiary institutions.
The Lands, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change sector received Sh217.88 million for ward-based water projects across all 30 wards.
The County Government of Uasin Gishu has unveiled a Sh12.99 billion budget proposal for the 2026/2027 financial year with no new taxes, levies or fees.
Governor Jonathan Bii's administration plans to finance the budget without imposing additional financial burdens on businesses and households by relying heavily on national transfers and enhanced internal revenue systems.
The anticipated revenue includes Sh9.26 billion from the equitable share of nationally raised revenue, Sh1.4 billion from own-source revenue driven by automation and grassroots campaigns such as "Leseni Mashinani", Sh708.7 million from Appropriation-in-Aid (AIA), and Sh530.65 million from conditional grants, among other sources.
“This approach reflects our commitment to prudent resource utilisation, continuity in development and the timely delivery of public investments that directly benefit the people of Uasin Gishu,” said Finance and Economic Planning County Executive Micah Rogony.
He said that while the county budget aims to streamline revenue collection, including through newly structured charges and traffic violation fines, standard levies on businesses and residents will remain unchanged.
By transitioning from primary production to agro-processing and value addition through strategic investments in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and industrial parks, the county hopes to unlock its full productive potential while maintaining strict discipline in public spending.
By Sammy Lutta, Barnabas Bii, Evans Jaola and Titus Ominde
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