In a heated address during the quarterly consultative meeting with governors in Naivasha, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi launched a fierce critique of the Controller of Budget (CoB) and her office, alleging that bureaucratic inefficiencies are stalling vital county fund disbursements.
Mbadi expressed frustration over the burdensome requirement that county finance officials must travel long distances—sometimes from as far as Turkana—to secure the release of funds that could easily be processed digitally. “There should be no bottlenecks once we transfer money to counties,” he stated, denouncing the current system as “rent seeking” that undermines local governance.
As the dialogue on county allocations heated up, Mbadi maintained that the National Government can only allocate KES 380 billion to counties, contradicting the demands from county officials for at least KES 400 billion. Governors, including Sang’ and Cheboi, voiced their discontent, insisting that the increasing responsibilities placed on them require a fair funding response.
Amid rising tensions, Mbadi also criticized the proliferation of advisors at both levels of government, arguing that many are redundant and their salaries could be better utilized elsewhere. “Many advisors are unnecessary, useless and should be disbanded,” he remarked, calling for a streamlined approach to governance.
As counties grapple with over three months without allocations, the need for timely disbursement has never been more critical. With the rollout of the Social Health Insurance program on the horizon, the stakes are high, and the call for a more efficient financial system echoes louder than ever.