Governors Lavish Sh2.16bn on Offices Amidst Neglected Development
A recent report from the Controller of Budget has uncovered that no fewer than eight governors allocated over 10% of their county budgets from July to September 2023 specifically for operating their offices.
Overall, 10 governors utilized either over 10 percent of their first-quarter budgets or more than Sh100 million for their office expenses. Consequently, counties allocated Sh2.16 billion (16.1 percent) out of their total expenditure of Sh13.4 billion towards their office operations.
The funding for the offices was allocated under various budget categories such as “Governor’s office, Governor and Deputy Governor’s office, County Executive services, Governance, Administration and Public Service, or Headquarters Administration.”
The report uncovered that the majority of governors prioritized allocating hundreds of millions of shillings to their office operations, neglecting the development needs of their residents.
For example, according to the report on counties’ budget implementation by Dr. Margaret Nyakang’o, Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi allocated Sh760.49 million, which accounted for 87 percent of the executive’s total expenses for the quarter, towards supporting the operations of his office.
The report stated that there were no recorded expenses from the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Management, as well as the County Public Service Board.
The county only dedicated Sh22 million to development.
Kitui Governor Julius Malombe utilized a budget of Sh382.43 million for the operations of his office, accounting for 20.4 percent of the total Sh1.87 billion expended by the executive, positioning him as the second-highest spender.
Mr. Malombe’s office expenditures were six times greater than the total expenditure allocated to the county’s development initiatives.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang allocated a substantial budget of Sh170.8 million for the functioning of his office, with a significant emphasis on operational aspects, dedicating Sh122.8 million specifically toward development purposes.
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During the quarter, 12.3% of the executive’s total expenditure, which amounted to Sh1.39 billion, was allocated to the governor’s office. Despite being an agricultural county, Mr. Sang allocated a higher budget to operating his office than the Sh106 million he allocated to agriculture, which was ironic.
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika utilized a sum of Sh127.68 million to manage both her office and that of her deputy, surpassing the total expenditure of the county on agriculture, lands, and trade sectors combined.
Additional governors who had expenses surpassing Sh100 million for their office operations were Mohamed Adan Khalif from Mandera, totaling Sh115.65 million, and Gladys Wanga from Homa Bay, totaling Sh109.42 million. Marsabit County, although lacking a specific budget allocation for the governor’s office, allocated Sh102.47 million for “County Executive services.”
These governors allocated excessive funds toward recurring expenses like office supplies, lavish hospitality, and various operational costs, while 18 others allocated less than 3 percent for similar purposes.
The report disclosed that 18 governors utilized Sh442.8 million for office operations, which accounted for 1.6 percent of the total Sh27.9 billion expended by all governors on their county executives’ operations.
Kwale (0.4%), Vihiga (1.8%), Turkana (1.12%), Siaya (1.8%), Nairobi, Kakamega (1%), Meru (1.7%), Machakos (1.55%), and Laikipia (1.2%) allocated less than 2% of their respective budgets for operating their offices.
Mombasa County had no recorded expenditure on this particular item. In total, 46 counties disclosed spending Sh3.4 billion to support the governor and deputy governor’s offices. Conversely, across all 47 counties, a combined total of Sh6.9 billion was spent on development initiatives.
Governors Lavish Sh2.16bn on Offices Amidst Neglected Development