Kilifi owes suppliers Sh10.7bn: Senators want 'defiant' governor Mung'aro to explain why

By  Collins Omulo

Reporter

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

• The county government also owes its staff Sh1.2 billion in unremitted statutory deductions deducted from their payslips but not remitted.
• Governor Mung’aro told the committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ that he is “sick” and unable to attend the meeting.

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro is under pressure to explain why his administration is yet to settle a staggering Sh10.7 billion owed to suppliers and contractors after the county chief failed to appear before the Senate on account of being “sick”.

The development comes after the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) rejected a request by the governor for postponement of its meetings and project inspection visits.

The county government also owes its staff Sh1.2 billion in unremitted statutory deductions deducted from their payslips but not remitted.

The committee has now ordered that Governor Mung’aro’s deputy, Ms Flora Chibule, must now appear before the committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ on Tuesday without fail.

The committee was to interrogate the outstanding debt which now places Kilifi County government as the second worst county to do business with only trailing Nairobi County government.

However, the governor told the committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ that he is “sick” and unable to attend the meeting, requesting for postponement.

The committee was also supposed to meet affected suppliers to deliberate on the outstanding pending bills.

Further, the committee was to conduct inspection visits of the proposed Kilifi County headquarters and the proposed outpatient block at the Kilifi County Referral Hospital.

“People get scared, get sick, get safaris and get excuses when CPAC comes to town. We have not come to witch hunt or look for fault but to enforce integrity,” said Mr Kajwang’.

“Where there is a claim of ill health, you need a doctor’s report. Nothing has been attached to the letters supporting the claim.”

The auditors also said the county government did not supply them with responses on the indisposition ground.

Senator Kajwang’ said the county government is technically insolvent because its revenue-to-debt ratio is 70 percent, which means that the county government will be left with a paltry Sh3.6 billion to operate, should it be forced to settle its pending bills.

Running a criminal enterprise

In the financial year ended June 30, 2026, the county government received Sh12.8 billion as equitable share and collected Sh1.5 billion as own-source revenue leaving it with Sh14.3 billion as available revenue.

“This means we are dealing with a county that is technically insolvent. It can also mean that you are running a criminal enterprise because you are receiving money yearly but not paying suppliers,” he said.

While rejecting the request for postponement, Senator Kajwang’ insisted the committee cannot go back to Nairobi without answers, having traveled hundreds of kilometres to be in Kilifi County.

“We must demand that the deputy governor appear before us to answer the questions because this is now an extraordinary circumstance. The committee shall not call off subsequent meetings. At the very minimum, the deputy governor should be here with other county executive officials,” said Senator Kajwang’.

“We cannot be incapacitated because the governor is in hospital. The governor being in hospital does not mean Kilifi County government is also in hospital,” he added.

The committee, however, warned that governors should not take the extraordinary step taken to have the deputy governor appear before them as “a precedent but something we are doing because of the extraordinary situation we have found ourselves in.”

Lamu Senator Joseph Githuku said the issue of pending bills is a thorn in the flesh in most counties and cannot be taken lightly as it is derailing service delivery in the counties. 

“We need to be told exactly what is happening in Kilifi County since it is second in terms of pending bills volume, second only to Nairobi County. It is derailing the development of Kilifi County. If we leave this matter unattended, then the people will not get the right services at the right time,” said Mr Githuku.

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo tried to play the Devil’s advocate by saying the governor had been sick and was admitted at a Mombasa hospital for a week. 

“He was not feeling well. I spoke to him but he said he is not very stable. However, the pending bills problem is not unique to Kilifi but to all counties and it is now critical for governors to set aside some funds to be settling the debts monthly to ensure the problem is dealt with,” said Mr Madzayo.

Nonetheless, the committee resolved that the governor must provide opinion from a qualified medical practitioner to ascertain whether he is truly indisposed. 

“We will give him the benefit of doubt but he must provide a doctor’s report indicating that he was unavailable for medical reasons to appear before this committee because as of now, we have no note from a qualified medical practitioner confirming the indisposition,” said Senator Kajwang’.

The Controller of Budget also said the county government has been submitting their payment plans but has always been cited for not adhering to the plans.

“This is why we needed the governor to be here before we talk to the governor. Sh10.7 billion owed to suppliers 300 days to the elections is a big problem,” said Senator Kajwang’. 

comulo@ke.nationmedia.com

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