- Senators will also be seeking to know the steps the government is taking to facilitate the settlement of the amounts.
- A quarterly report from the National Treasury indicated that pending bills grew by Sh128.3 billion in the first nine months of the last financial year.
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Senators have launched an inquiry to establish the status of pending bills in all 47 counties.
Standing Committee on Finance and Budget will be seeking a comprehensive report on all pending bills per county from the Office of the Controller of Budget.
Seeking a statement from the committee, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said the report should indicate the financial years the bills accrued and steps the government is taking to facilitate the settlement of the amounts.
“State the role of the Controller of Budget in expediting the settlement of all pending bills by county governments,” the Senator stated.
Cherargei said the committee should further furnish the House with a list of all pending bills below Sh5 million, indicating the counties that have not adhered to the directive on prompt settlement of the obligations.
A quarterly report from the National Treasury indicated that pending bills grew by Sh128.3 billion in the first nine months of the last financial year.
Total pending bills hit Sh567.5 billion by the end of June, translating to a 29.2 per cent growth, even as the Kenya Kwanza government vowed to cut the supplier debt.
“The national government policy on clearance of pending bills continues to be in force. The National Treasury is currently developing a comprehensive strategy to clear outstanding stock of verified pending bills of the national government over the medium term,” the Economic and Budgetary Review report for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2022/23 said.
In June, suppliers of both the county and national governments got a reprieve following the formation of a committee to speed up payment of billions owed to them.
The Cabinet Pending Bills Verification Committee is tasked with the auditing of liabilities for the period between 2005 and 2022.
The committee will consist of the Attorney General, the State Department of Roads, the State Department of Public Works, the State Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Law Society of Kenya, the Institute of Engineers of Kenya and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya will also be part of it.
The Committee will examine and submit interim reports to the Treasury Cabinet Secretary upon verification. The government will honour the obligation in question.
The move is aimed at establishing the integrity of all bills and cushioning small enterprises against liquidity inadequacies.