Governors spent a whopping Sh4.8 billion to pay lawyers and collect garbage, a new report shows.
The report from the Controller of Budget (COB) Margret Nyakang’o shows that out of this amount, Sh2.7 billion went towards settling legal fees, arbitration, and compensation payments, while another Sh2.1 billion was spent on garbage collection.
The report dated August singled out 11 counties that spent hundreds of millions of shillings on legal fees.
They include Nairobi, Kajiado, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kwale,Meru, Migori, Narok, Nyeri, Tana River and Wajir counties.
Reads the report: The Controller of Budget identified several challenges that hindered effective budget execution, including the National Treasury’s failure to disburse the June 2024 equitable share of revenue to county governments, High expenditures on personnel emoluments, low expenditures on the development budget using Commercial Bank accounts, underperformance in own-source revenue collection, high pending bills, delays in submitting financial and non-financial reports to the Controller of Budget all contributed to poor budget implementation, and excessive expenditure on traveling.”
In Johnson Sakaja’s Nairobi county, the report shows that the county had the highest expenditure on both legal fees and garbage collection.
The county spent Sh1.563 billion on garbage collection and Sh 941.86 million on legal fees/dues, arbitration, and compensation payments.
In governor Joseph Ole Lenku Kajiado county, the report shows that they spent Sh128.51 million on legal fees while in Fernandes Barasa’s Kakamega county, they spent Sh181.43 million on the same.
In Anyang Nyong’os Kisumu county, the report shows that the county spent Sh239.78 million for legal fees and Sh11.43 million for garbage collection while in Fatuma Achani’s Kwale county they spent Sh46.67 million on legal fees.
Embattled Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s Meru county government spent Sh77.45 million in legal fees/dues, arbitration and compensation payments.
The county had other intriguing expenses including Sh42.42 million spent on membership fees, dues and subscriptions to professional and trade bodies, Sh800,000 spent on medical expenses, Sh200,000 spent on laundry expenses, Sh350,000 spent on HIV/AIDS secretariat workplace policy development and Sh1.49 million spent on counselling services.
Other expenses include contracted technical services (Sh2.28 million), contracted professional services (Sh580,000), contracted guards and cleaning services (Sh13.58 million), constituency office expenses (Sh38.61 million) and bank service commission and charges (Sh200,000 million).
Ochilo Ayacko’s Migori spent Sh109.15 million on legal fees, arbitration and compensation payment and Sh9.06 million on garbage collection while governor Patrick Ntutu’s Narok county government spent Sh190.73 million on legal fees and Sh83.02 million on garbage collection.
Mutahi Kahiga’s Nyeri county government spent Sh 70.73 million on legal fees expenditure while Dhadho Godhana’s Tana river county government spent 124.28 million on legal fees and Sh 2.85 million on garbage collection
Reads the report: “A breakdown of “Other Operating Expenses” in the operations add maintenance costs in the above graph relates to legal fees, subscription to professional bodies, contracted guard services, contracted professional services and membership fees.”
Wajir county government headed by governor Ahmed Abdullahi spent Sh56.1 million on legal fees while Samburu county government spent Sh 9.71 million on legal fees/dues, arbitration and compensation payments.
Siaya county government headed by governor James Orengo spent Sh20.7 million on legal fees/dues while Bomet governor Hillary Barchok they spent Sh5.51 million on legal expenditure legal fees and Sh19.5 million on garbage collection.
Bungoma governor Kenneth Lusaka spent Sh16.45 million on legal fees while governor Paul Otuoma in neighboring Busia county spent Sh37.60 million on legal fees.
Elgeyo Marakwet governor Wilsley Rotich spent Sh2.73 million on legal fees while in Cecily Mbarire’s Embu county government spent Sh2.34 million on garbage collection and Sh20.48 million on legal fees/dues, arbitration and compensation payments. The report shows that Garissa governor Nathif Jama spent Sh7 million on legal fees while his Homa Bay counterpart Gladys Wanga spent Sh 12.74 million on the same.
