NAIROBI, Kenya — Twenty-seven county governments have been put on notice over low spending on development projects after the Senate raised concerns that many devolved units continue to prioritise recurrent expenditure at the expense of service delivery.
The concerns emerged on Thursday during the County Fiscal Performance Measurement Ceremony at Parliament, where senators assessed how county governments utilised public resources during the 2024/2025 financial year.
Speaking during the event, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi urged governors to ensure public funds are used in accordance with the law and directed towards projects that improve the lives of wananchi.
“We must ensure that resources given to you governors are used according to the law,” Kingi said.
According to the County Fiscal Performance Measurement Report for the 2024/2025 financial year, 27 counties failed to meet the recommended threshold for development expenditure, raising questions over their commitment to financing infrastructure and other long-term projects.
The report found that Nairobi County, under Governor Johnson Sakaja, recorded the highest development expenditure during the review period.
Turkana County ranked second after spending Sh4.2 billion on development projects.
Mandera and Kwale counties also surpassed the recommended 35 per cent development expenditure benchmark, reflecting strong investment in capital projects.
Narok County, under Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu, also exceeded the threshold after spending Sh3.5 billion on development initiatives.
Rounding out the top 10 counties for development spending were Kiambu, Nakuru, Kitui and Wajir, all of which posted relatively strong investment in development programmes.
Despite the positive performance by a handful of counties, the Senate expressed concern that the majority of devolved units continue to spend a significant portion of their budgets on recurrent expenditure, including salaries and operational costs, leaving limited resources for development projects.
The report also highlighted persistent challenges in county revenue collection, noting that most counties continue to underperform in generating own-source revenue.
According to the findings, the weak revenue performance has increased counties’ dependence on equitable share allocations from the national government, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of county finances.
The Senate urged county governments to strengthen revenue collection systems, improve financial management and increase investment in development projects to ensure devolution delivers tangible benefits to citizens.
