DP: CoB must facilitate not frustrate disbursement to counties

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki chairs the 25th Ordinary Session of IBEC at his official Residence in Karen on December 13, 2024/DPCS.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said that the Controller of Budget and the Commission on Revenue Allocation must facilitate and not frustrate the disbursement of money to the counties.

Speaking on Friday when he chaired his first Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC), Kindiki said that this is a discussion that must be faced head-on and resolved.

He insisted that no institution should frustrate another when they are working towards similar national interests.

"We cannot have a situation where county governments receive money and they are unable to spend it but on the other hand we must insist that accountability is for all of us.

"Therefore we must have a way of bridging the gap between the view points of the council of governors and controller of budget to make sure we assist both institutions to deliver on their mandate," Kindiki said.

"No institution has a right to frustrate the other; both are pursuing legitimate national interests."

Kindiki said that despite the previous delays in the disbursement of funds, the government is working to resolve the situation.

He said that as at now, only the November disbursement has not been updated, and that will be done in the next one week.

“We have had an issue of timely disbursement of county resources. I am informed by the CS National Treasury that some progress has been made. November is still outstanding, and next week it will be sorted out so that we try and regularise the delays.”

The DP added that over the last two years, Kenya has operated under a challenging macroeconomic situation, and that has affected the economic performance of the country for some time.

He, however, said that the situation is now looking better going forward.

Kindiki further thanked governors for their patience as the national government works to resolve these issues.

“We have a macroeconomic situation that promises a bright future, and I can confirm without fear of contradiction that the worst is behind us. The country can only now move forward and upwards.

“Thank you for your patience because, in the process, some of the commitments around devolution, like the disbursement of monies to counties and other obligations, have been affected by this macroeconomic turbulence.”