This archive report was first published on 3 January 2020.
On January 2, 2020, the Council of Governors (CoG) wrote to the National Treasury, urging it to comply with court orders to release county funds, which have been withheld since December 2019.
The CoG, led by Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya, noted that the State's failure to release the money has rendered counties unable to pay bills and salaries.
According to the letter, the 47 county governments have not received their December 2019 monthly disbursement, which was due on December 15, 2019.
As a result, county governments are unable to meet their obligations, key among them being payment of eligible pending bills and paying of staff.
The CoG's vice-chair, Mr Mwangi wa Iria, said Treasury's move was contrary to CS Yatani's statement on pending bills and will result in a crisis as schools reopen.
“This contradicts the minister’s statement on commitments to settlement of pending bills. We are in a crisis since students will not be taken to school,” the governor told the Nation.
The CoG moved to court on December 10 to challenge Treasury's decision to block funding for 17 counties, which had not cleared their bills and had not submitted a structured plan for doing so.
On December 13, 2019, High Court Judge Weldon Korir issued an order compelling Treasury and the controller of budget to immediately disburse the equitable revenue share to counties, in line with the laws.
