The Controller of Budget has raised concerns about how 43 county governors have been misusing funds despite getting proper approvals for withdrawals. Even though the counties had work plans in place, they ended up diverting money from county revenue funds for purposes that were never intended.
This misuse of public funds is affecting development and service delivery, raising questions about accountability in county governments. One of the biggest issues is that many counties are not using the money allocated for development projects.
Some counties have been given billions for projects such as roads, hospitals, and schools, but a huge chunk of this money remains unspent.
For example, in a previous financial year, Nairobi County only used 9% of its development budget, while Bungoma spent 11.7%. Mombasa and Taita Taveta performed even worse, using just 7.7% and 7% of their funds.
This means that the money meant to improve people’s lives is just sitting in bank accounts instead of being used to build much-needed infrastructure.
Counties have been found operating many commercial bank accounts, making it harder to track public funds. A recent report showed that counties had over 2,400 such accounts, raising concerns about possible financial mismanagement.
If county funds are scattered across so many accounts, it becomes easy for corrupt officials to misuse the money without being detected.
Another major problem is excessive spending on unnecessary activities. County governments have been spending billions on travel, even when the national government has directed them to cut down on non-essential trips.
Some counties have been taking large delegations for international trips, not because they are necessary, but simply so officials can receive hefty allowances.
Meanwhile, critical services such as healthcare and education continue to suffer due to a lack of funds.The misuse and diversion of funds have serious consequences for ordinary citizens.
When money meant for roads, hospitals, and schools is either misused or left unspent, development is delayed or completely abandoned.
This not only slows down economic growth but also makes life harder for people who depend on these services.
The Controller of Budget has also pointed out that legal loopholes and budgetary issues are making it difficult to enforce financial discipline among counties. Some county leaders take advantage of weak laws to avoid accountability.
The office responsible for overseeing county spending lacks enough resources to fully monitor how funds are being used.
To fix this problem, there needs to be stricter laws to close loopholes that allow counties to misuse funds. County governments must also be more transparent in how they handle public money, and citizens should be involved in the budgeting process. If there is more oversight and accountability, it will be harder for governors to divert funds for personal or unnecessary projects.In the end, the misuse of county funds is slowing down development and denying citizens the services they deserve.
If county governments do not change how they handle public money, then devolution will fail to achieve its goal of improving lives at the local level. The national government and oversight bodies must step in to ensure that county leaders are held accountable for every shilling spent.
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