The Finance Ministry wants procurement law changed so both the national government and county administrations must pay suppliers within 60 days. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich said the move would protect contractors from losses caused by delayed payments.
Rotich made the remarks in Narok during the Narok Investment Stakeholders Forum, where he argued that suppliers have long been trapped by government bureaucracy. He said the proposed amendment would force faster settlement of verified bills.
“Once the law on procurement is enacted, it will be mandatory to the national government and the devolved units to pay suppliers in a period not exceeding 60 days,” said the CS.
He also pressed first-term governors to pay pending bills inherited from previous administrations, provided the claims were processed properly. According to Rotich, government obligations do not disappear when leadership changes.
“I know some second term Governors have no problem in terms of pending bills but for the first-time governors, they have no excuse but to pay the pending bills. Government is an entity that exists forever regardless of change of guard,” warned Rotich.
Rotich linked the issue to the country’s wider debt burden, saying the Jubilee administration was also meeting bills left behind by earlier regimes. He referred to the period since Kenya gained independence in 1963.
He further dismissed claims by governors that the national government had delayed county disbursements. Rotich said the Treasury had released all county funds by June and insisted there was no basis for blaming the centre.
“I want to guarantee that I have disbursed the cash to the counties 100 percent as at June this year. Anyone trying to use that as an excuse is completely unfair,” he said.
Rotich added that one of devolution’s main goals is to promote social and economic development and improve access to services across Kenya.
