The Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has raised concerns over Trans Nzoia County’s failure to pay outstanding gratuity to former staff, amounting to millions of shillings, and warned against further access to county funds until the issue is addressed.

The warning was issued on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at Parliament Buildings, where the committee cautioned the Controller of Budget against authorising additional withdrawals from the County Revenue Fund while the gratuity arrears remain unsettled.

Unpaid gratuity under scrutiny

The matter emerged during the appearance of Governor George Natembeya before CPAC to respond to queries raised in the Auditor-General’s report on Trans Nzoia County’s financial statements for the 2024/25 financial year.

According to the Auditor-General, the county has failed to pay gratuity to staff whose contracts ended several years ago. Financial records show that the last gratuity payment was made on May 9, 2021.

The outstanding gratuity bill stands at Ksh 52 million. Of this amount, Ksh 26 million is owed to staff who served in the Office of the Governor during the tenure of former Governor Patrick Khaemba, while the remaining Ksh 26 million is owed to staff drawn from various county departments.

CPAC members, led by Chairperson Senator Moses Kajwang’, faulted the county administration for delaying payment of terminal dues for more than four years, describing the delay as unjustified.

“This is unfair,” Senator Kajwang’ said, noting that the affected officers had already exited public service and were entitled to the payments. “You must prioritise this payment.”

Governor cites financial constraints

Governor Natembeya admitted that the gratuity had not been paid, but attributed the delay to financial constraints rather than deliberate neglect.

“It is an unfortunate situation. I am alive to the fact that we are not paying the money,” the Governor said when questioned by the committee. He added, “There is no malice. It is just circumstances.”

The Governor told the committee that part of the financial pressure stemmed from failures by previous county administrations to remit statutory deductions to relevant agencies. He said the county had been forced to set aside funds to clear those arrears.

According to Governor Natembeya, the delayed remittances had attracted penalties and additional tax obligations, which had further strained the county’s finances and affected its ability to settle outstanding obligations.

Committee issues firm directive

However, Senator Kajwang’ dismissed the explanation, stating that gratuity payments were separate from pension and statutory remittance issues.

“Gratuity has nothing to do with pension schemes. It has everything to do with internal inefficiencies,” he said, urging the county to prioritise payment of the arrears.

Senator Samson Cherargei supported the position, emphasising that gratuity was a contractual obligation. “Gratuity is not a privilege; it is a plan,” The Senator said. “The Governor must roll out a payment plan to clear this debt.”

The committee directed that the Controller of Budget should not approve any further requisitions by Trans Nzoia County unless Governor Natembeya submits a gratuity payout plan approved by both CPAC and the Office of the Auditor-General.

Governor Natembeya accepted the directive and assured the committee that the county would allocate funds for the gratuity payments through a supplementary budget.