Mung’aro: Kilifi will not pay pending bills for projects that exist only on paper

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has warned that his administration will not pay pending bills for county projects that cannot be physically verified, challenging the figures presented by the Senate over the county’s mounting debts to suppliers and contractors.

Mung’aro said the county had inherited outstanding bills from the previous administration and had accumulated additional liabilities, but insisted that only claims backed by completed or ongoing work would be considered for payment.

Speaking on Tuesday after officially opening the third phase of the Kijiwetanga-Jacaranda road in Malindi, the governor said some of the claims included in the county’s pending bills were for projects that existed only on paper.

“I agree we have pending bills which I inherited from my predecessor and I added mine, but my pending bills are ongoing projects which I will pay,” Mung’aro said.

“What I will not pay are pending bills whose projects cannot be seen on the ground. There are projects that only exist on paper. I will not pay for such projects and I am ready to be taken to court, but such projects I will not pay.”

His remarks come less than two weeks after the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) raised concerns over the size and credibility of Kilifi’s pending bills during its week-long oversight activities in the county.

The committee found conflicting figures on the amount owed by the county, with the Auditor-General’s latest figure putting the outstanding bills at Sh11.9 billion. County officials, however, told senators that their own assessment put the figure at Sh7.5 billion, while a verification exercise had identified Sh5.1 billion as legitimate claims.

The discrepancies prompted CPAC to direct the Controller of Budget not to approve withdrawals by the county for settling the pending bills until a certified figure is established. The committee also asked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate claims involving contractors and suppliers whose projects or services could not be verified.

The Senate scrutiny followed complaints from suppliers and contractors who told the committee that delayed payments had pushed some businesses into financial difficulties.

Some suppliers claimed they had waited for years to be paid, while others said they faced auction of property and difficulties meeting their own financial obligations because of unpaid county debts.

The committee also heard allegations that some contractors were seeking payment for incomplete works. One example presented to senators involved an early childhood development classroom that had allegedly been constructed without a door, despite the contractor seeking full payment. The allegations have not been independently established.

CPAC chair Moses Kajwang said the Senate wanted the county to distinguish between legitimate debts and claims arising from works or services that had not been properly delivered.

The committee also questioned the county’s capacity to clear its obligations, with Kilifi’s pending bills placing it among the counties with the highest outstanding debts. The county reported Sh14.3 billion in total revenue in the 2024/25 financial year, comprising Sh12.8 billion in equitable share and Sh1.5 billion in own-source revenue.

During the Senate’s September visit, CPAC also sought answers on the county’s financial management and inspected development projects as part of its oversight mandate. Governor Mung’aro did not appear before the committee at one stage of the visit after requesting a postponement, prompting the committee to direct Deputy Governor Flora Chibule and county officials to respond to its questions.

Mung’aro’s latest comments now place the verification of physical projects at the centre of the dispute over how much Kilifi actually owes.

The governor did not provide a breakdown of the projects he believes exist only on paper or the value of the disputed claims.

The county is facing pressure to reconcile its records with the Auditor-General’s figures and demonstrate which suppliers and contractors are owed money for work that was actually completed or services that were delivered.

CPAC has called for a comprehensive verification of the bills and a workable payment plan, while Mung’aro has made clear that his administration will defend its decision not to pay claims that cannot be supported by work on the ground.