On Tuesday, Deputy President William Ruto chaired an Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) meeting at his Karen Residence, where Treasury officials reported that Ksh 286 billion of equitable share allocation had been disbursed to counties this financial year.
However, a pending amount of Sh85 billion was still outstanding, and Treasury officials assured that this amount was being fast-tracked for payment.
According to Governor Josphat Nanok, who attended the meeting, the timely disbursement of funds would help smoothen service delivery by counties.
Attendees included Governor Josphat Nanok, PS Devolution Julius Korir, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o, representatives from the National Treasury, Ministry of Devolution, and County Executive Committee Members.
Dr. Ruto emphasized the need to address the issue of pending bills by counties, as 60% of them constitute pensions.
He announced that the Devolution Ministry would convene a meeting with stakeholders to discuss and resolve the issue, eliminating unnecessary penalties.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o highlighted the potential of Own Source Revenue to unlock the economic potential of counties, stating that the United Nations Capital Development Fund had partnered with them to enhance counties' generation of own revenues.