Taita Taveta county contractors and suppliers now want the county assembly to push for payment of pending bills amounting to millions of shillings.
The contractor's chairman Jefferson Mwabili on Thursday decried the non-payment of pending bills owed to them by the county, noting that the debt has contributed to collapsing of their businesses.
Mwabili said the delayed payment has made local contractors unable to pay loans, thus exposing them to repossession of their properties and auctioneering by lenders.
“Many of our members have since quit business after they were auctioned by lenders. We are appealing to the government to consider paying the bills as soon as possible,” Mwabili told the Assembly’s Committee on Budget, Finance and Appropriations.
The contractors and suppliers are claiming more than Sh852 million in unpaid bills.
Many of the bills, he said, were incurred during the former Governor Granton Samboja’s administration.
The pending bills are currently being scrutinised by the county government before payment is approved.
Mwabili further insisted on the need to fast-track the verification process, pointing out that some members had sunk into depression after spending all their investments to offer services.
“Some of our members have ended up sinking into depression due to debts. One of us recently committed suicide because of the pressure of debts, therefore this is an issue that needs urgent attention,” he said.
He suggested that the county should have a special verification committee on pending bills every financial year to avoid the issue of consecutive governments heaping blame on past governments.
County Assembly’s Budget, Finance and Appropriations Committee chairperson, Jimmy Mwamidi, assured the contractors that the assembly was looking into their petition to ensure speedy payment of the bills.
Further, Mwamidi said, the assembly is considering more decisions that will ensure that in the future, pending bills will not exceed 5 months after the completion of work.
He said that the ward reps are in talks with the executive and other stakeholders to structure the payment of pending bills.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
