Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o has urged the counties to ensure they submit their budgetary appropriations in time to ensure a smooth budget implementation process.

Nyakango’o lamented that a majority of the counties have been delaying in submitting their budgets, which she said is against the Public Finance Management Act.

Speaking in Murang’a during a monitoring and evaluation visit on Thursday, December 18, 2025, Nyakang’o said that late submission affects the utilization of the funds in the devolved units.

“All the budgets by county governments are supposed to have been approved by the county assemblies and forwarded to the treasury by the 1st of July so that the budget implementation process can begin,” she said.

“The counties need to up their game and fast-track the budget-making process to avoid some hitches that we are countering in the process,” Nyakang’o added.

In addition, the controller of the budget also urged the counties to prioritize the development project, saying through this they will be able to create employment and spur economic growth.

She noted with concern that over twenty counties spent nothing on development in the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.

“One of the reasons this happened is because the counties submitted their budgets late, and this affected their absorption of the funds allocated to them,” she remarked.

“It’s not enough for us to complain that Treasury has not released the funds if we don’t have the budget to absorb the funds, so I am appealing to the counties to step up the budget-making process,” added Nyakang’o.

In addition, Nyakang’o also defended the electronic procurement system being implemented by the National Treasury, stating that despite the challenges encountered, it remains the ultimate solution in financial management.

She acknowledged that the system’s rollout had been challenging due to poor initial implementation, adding that capacity building will be done for all those using the system to enable them to use it with ease.

“There have been calls to have the system abolished, but this is not my decision to make. It will come from the treasury, and still I don’t think it would be a good idea,” she remarked.

“We need to automate the procurement system because it’s more efficient, and we need all the resources saved to do other activities,” added Nyakong’o.

On his part, Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata said persistent delays in the disbursement of funds from the Exchequer continue to hinder county operations, despite legal provisions requiring funds to be released to counties by the 14th of every month.

“Timely release of the money will enable the counties to utilize it properly, especially in development projects which are geared towards improving the livelihood of the people,” Kanga’ata said.

The governor also sought to have programs such as medical insurance for needy families and the provision of porridge in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centers from recurrent to development spending.

“The programs are more development-oriented compared to recurrent expenditure, and the reclassification will allow us to allocate more funds to them to cater for more people,” he added.