Ann Waiguru Comes to Gladys Wanga’s Rescue

In response to Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o’s Quarter 1 report, the Council of Governors (CoG) issued a statement, defending certain governors who were accused of allocating less than 1% of their budgets to county development projects from July to September 2023.

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o’s report had highlighted concerns regarding the low allocation to development projects.

However, CoG Chair Anne Waiguru refuted these claims, explaining that each county government had its approved budget and work plans at the beginning of the year. She argued that expecting uniform expenditures across all counties would be impractical.

Governor Waiguru stressed that governors prioritize settling pending county bills over development projects, in line with the advice from the Controller of Budget. She clarified that many of these pending bills directly impact ongoing development projects.

Waiguru addressed the media, stating, “County governments align all the procurement processes to the law. The complexity of these processes sometimes slows down the uptake of development expenditure.

County Governments recognize the importance of ensuring that procurement procedures are meticulous, transparent, and adhere to the law in the spirit of accountability to the people we serve.”

Furthermore, Waiguru pointed out that governors face various challenges affecting development funding, including the lengthy 4-month approval period by the Controller of Budget.

She also cited the delayed signing into law of the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2023, which was anticipated to increase funding from the national government.

This delay, according to Waiguru, hindered the disbursement of conditional grants crucial for funding ongoing development projects.

“The delay by the Parliament to enact the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2023, has constrained the disbursement of conditional grants to counties.

It is important to note that most of the ongoing development projects are funded by these grants. We further note that to date, Parliament is yet to pass this crucial Bill to allow for the release and flow of funds to Counties to pay major projects that are ongoing,” part of the statement read.

Several governors, including Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi), Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), Gideon Mung’aro (Kilifi), and Cecily Mbarire (Embu), were implicated in the report. Governor Waiguru’s defense highlighted the nuanced challenges faced by individual governors in executing development projects within their counties.