Deputy President William Ruto praised counties for making progress in resolving eligible pending bills.
Ruto presided over the 16th Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council meeting at his official residence in Karen, insisting that more needed to be done to ensure suppliers received their dues on time.
Furthermore, he urged the Treasury and the Attorney General to collaborate in order to find a solution to the Sh108 billion ineligible pending bills.
“Counties have paid more than Sh15 billion to suppliers this year alone.” “Now, the Treasury and the Attorney General must consult on the massive number of ineligible pending bills in order to chart a course forward,” Ruto said.
County Executives and County Assemblies have ineligible pending bills totaling Sh107 billion and Sh1 billion, respectively, according to the Auditor General.
County Executives, on the other hand, have eligible pending bills totaling Sh45.5 billion, while County Assemblies have Sh1.9 billion.
During the meeting, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o stated that the large sum had been contributed in part by suppliers.
She advised those who are owed to ensure that proper documentation is completed with counties before engaging in any activity.
Counties were also asked to set realistic revenue targets from their own sources in order to keep budget deficits under control.
“…this serves as a channel for contracting massive bills that end up not being paid because the one source of revenue is sometimes exaggerated,” the council said in a statement.
Martin Wambora, Chairman of the Council of Governors, stated that counties were committed to meeting their eligible obligations as long as they received funds from the treasury.
“Counties are in dire financial straits; some have yet to receive their Treasury disbursement.” “Timely releases are critical for our operation,” Wambora explained.
Governors Sospeter Ojamoong (Busia), Josphat Nanok (Turkana), Moses Lenolkulal, PS Devolution Julius Korir, and County Executive Committee Members attended the meeting.
The Deputy President presided over the meeting a day after launching a scathing attack on the government he serves in response to the ongoing fuel shortage crisis.
