NAIROBI, Kenya – County governments across Kenya have sunk tens of billions of shillings into stalled, abandoned, and unused projects, exposing taxpayers to massive financial losses, the latest audit has revealed.
According to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s report for the 2023/2024 financial year, at least 688 county projects worth Sh23.3 billion have stalled, while 249 projects initiated by 33 counties at a total cost of Sh20 billion have been abandoned.
In addition, 40 completed projects in 10 counties, valued at Sh366.4 million, remain unutilized.
The report paints a grim picture of inefficiency, poor planning, and financial mismanagement in devolved units, warning that the lack of value for money in public spending undermines service delivery.
Delayed Projects and Cost Escalations
Some stalled projects are already attracting penalties due to delayed payments for completed milestones, while others have been revised to cost significantly more than their original contract sums.
Gathungu noted that in many cases, payments have been made to projects that appear to have completely stalled.
“This casts doubt on the value for money for such expenditure,” the report states. “Weak oversight, lack of transparency, and possible financial mismanagement contravene Section 119 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, which requires transparency, accountability, and prudent use of public funds.”
Counties Cited for Delays
Nakuru County Executive was flagged for having 582 delayed projects valued at Sh7.6 billion – the highest number in the report.
Bungoma County Executive had five delayed projects worth Sh3 billion, while Trans Nzoia’s delayed projects are valued at Sh2.2 billion.
Other counties cited include Narok (one project worth Sh1.5 billion), Nandi (11 projects worth Sh1.2 billion), Kirinyaga (five projects worth Sh1.2 billion), and Uasin Gishu (two projects worth Sh930.2 million).
Gathungu warned that persistent delays in project completion point to poor management of public resources, causing service delivery gaps and denying citizens the benefits of taxpayer-funded investments.
The findings add to mounting concerns over wastage in county spending, coming just months after separate audits revealed billions lost in inflated legal fees, questionable procurement, and poorly executed infrastructure projects.
