By Valentine Omondi
The Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee has directed the Controller of Budget not to approve withdrawals by the Kilifi County Government to settle pending bills until the actual amount owed to contractors and suppliers is established.
The directive followed a heated scrutiny of Kilifi’s pending bills on Thursday, September 24, after county officials presented figures that differed significantly from the Sh11.9 billion reported by the Auditor-General.
The committee, chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, was told that Kilifi’s internal verification process had so far established Sh5.1 billion as legitimate pending bills, while the county government estimated its total outstanding obligations at about Sh7.5 billion.
The conflicting figures prompted senators to question how the county had arrived at the different amounts and how it intended to clear the debts.
Kilifi Chief Officer for Finance Lawrence Mwonzonga told the committee that the county had established a verification committee to scrutinise the pending bills and had verified Sh5.1 billion as legitimate.
He said the county had also stopped taking on new projects as it worked to address the outstanding obligations.
Kajwang Demands Payment Plan
Kajwang questioned the county over the continued accumulation of pending bills and asked officials to provide the committee with the actual figures owed to contractors and suppliers.
He also raised concern over bills that have remained unpaid for years, including obligations dating back to 2015.
The senator then put a direct question to the county officials: “What’s the payment plan?”
Mwonzonga responded that the county had already begun working with the Office of the Controller of Budget to establish its actual pending bills position.
“First, we have launched with the Office of the Controller of Budget our actual pending bills plan amounting to about Sh8 billion. In the budget, what we’ve provided for is Sh3.2 billion for the current financial year,” Mwonzonga said.
He added that the county was preparing to recast its current budget to create room for additional funding towards the pending bills.
“We’re about to recast the current budget so we provide room for an enhancement of what we’ve already allocated, and I’m seeing ourselves further allocating Sh1.5 billion,” he said.
The figures presented by Mwonzonga added another layer to the financial questions facing the county, with the Auditor-General’s Sh11.9 billion figure, the county’s Sh7.5 billion estimate, the Sh5.1 billion verified as legitimate and the approximately Sh8 billion payment plan all emerging during the scrutiny.
The Controller of Budget also told the committee that the county executive had budgeted Sh8.7 billion for pending bills, while the County Assembly had approved Sh3.1 billion, prompting further questions from senators over the discrepancies.
Kajwang questioned how Kilifi could allocate billions towards pending bills when its annual revenue is estimated at about Sh13 billion, describing the financial position as a serious concern.
He also questioned why some legitimate suppliers had waited years for payment despite having already provided goods and services to the county.
“There is no way a service provider who offered a service of providing air tickets to officials of the county, the tickets have been availed, and up to date, such a person should not be paid; that is ridiculous,” Kajwang said, demanding a payment plan for all pending bills.
Deputy Governor Challenged Over Mung’aro’s Absence
The hearing also briefly turned to the absence of Governor Gideon Mung’aro, who had earlier said he was indisposed.
Deputy Governor Flora Chibule, who appeared before the committee, indicated that she had expected the proceedings to be adjourned because the Governor was not present.
Kajwang, however, questioned how the committee could interrogate the county’s multibillion-shilling pending bills through verbal explanations without substantive written responses.
He reminded Chibule that the absence of the Governor did not mean the county government had stopped functioning.
“If the Governor is ill, Kilifi is not ill. If he is absent, Kilifi is not absent,” Kajwang said, pointing to the constitutional role of the Deputy Governor in assuming the functions of the Governor when the Governor is unavailable.
The issue had already been raised earlier in the week after the committee rejected Mung’aro’s request to postpone his appearance, saying his claim of being indisposed was not accompanied by a medical report. Kajwang subsequently directed the Deputy Governor to appear before the committee.
EACC Asked to Probe Pending Bills
The committee also raised concerns over allegations that some contractors were demanding payment for projects that had not been completed, while some county officials could have facilitated questionable claims.
Kajwang directed the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate possible collusion between county officials and contractors over payments for works not done or services not rendered.
The concerns followed testimony from Shella MCA Twaher Abdulkarim, who told the committee that a contractor in his ward had constructed an Early Childhood Development classroom at a reported cost of Sh3 million, but had failed to fit a door while demanding full payment.
Abdulkarim said intervention by the County Assembly stopped the payment until the work was completed.
The Senate committee has now directed Kilifi County to verify all pending bills, establish a credible figure, prepare a workable payment plan and ensure legitimate contractors and suppliers are paid for completed works and services.
The scrutiny comes days after suppliers and contractors told the same committee that Kilifi’s unpaid bills had pushed some businesses towards financial distress. On September 21, suppliers reported pending bills of about Sh10.7 billion, with some debts dating back years.
The Senate’s five-day sitting in Kilifi, held under the Senate Mashinani programme, ended on Thursday after committee hearings, public engagements and inspections of county projects.
Suppliers’ pain
One supplier, Salim Mwangoma, a provider of air ticketing services, said that from 2023 to date, the county owes him Sh16 million and has refused to pay.
He said several suppliers were in pain over the county’s non-payment of pending bills.
“Whenever we follow up payment, we are told our vouchers are not there even after they have been prepared. Who is taking our vouchers?” he asked.
