According to the report, Kwale, Embu, Kericho, Mandera, Siaya and Uasin Gishu were the only counties to attain an “A” grade after exceeding the statutory development spending threshold while demonstrating strong fiscal discipline.
Background
County budgets are split between recurrent spending, which is mostly salaries and operations, and development spending, which is the money that builds things. The Public Finance Management Act sets a floor of 30 per cent of a county’s budget for development, and the Controller of Budget reports on whether counties reach it. Missing the target is rarely a single decision; it is the cumulative effect of a wage bill that grows faster than revenue, late exchequer releases, and procurement that stalls late in the financial year.
Why it matters here
Nairobi’s performance is a Kibra story in the most literal way. Development spending is the line that funds drainage, footpaths, lighting, water connections, health centre equipment and classroom blocks, and every ward in Kibra has a list of projects that exists on paper and not on the ground. When the county underspends on development while meeting its recurrent obligations, the deficit does not disappear; it accumulates as maintenance that nobody does.
What to watch next
What the county assembly does with the report, whether pending bills are settled so contractors resume work, and whether the next quarterly report shows any improvement.
Read the full report at News – Capital FM Kenya
Source: News – Capital FM Kenya
