NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 27 – Controller of Budget Margret Nyakango says county governments has so far utilised Sh3.43 billion out of Sh13.1 billion disbursed for the implementation of COVID-19 interventions since March.
Citing the Special Budget Review Implementation Report on the Utilization of Funds by County Governments towards COVID-19 interventions tabled before the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 situation in Kenya, Nyakango said counties received money as follows: Turkana (Sh858 million), Nakuru (Sh603 million) and Nairobi (Sh576 million).
Counties that received the lowest disbursement include Lamu (Sh37.9 million), Tana River (Sh71.1 million) and Taita Taveta Sh76.7 million.
The total funds which were availed from March 13, 2020 when the country reported its first case to July 31, 2020 consisted of Sh5 billion from the National Government through the Ministry of Health for quarantine and isolation expenditure.
Nyakango says the self-reporting expenditure report by the counties also consists of Sh2.36 billion from the National Government for allowances of front-line healthcare workers, Sh350 million from the Danish Aid Agency (DANIDA) as grant support to Level 2 and 3 health facilities to fight the pandemic and Sh5.39 billion from Counties’ own funds.
The report does not however, include the funds received directly by County Governments as donations.
According to the report, Nakuru leads the counties with high expenditure reporting Sh311.9 million followed by Wajir at Sh255.3 million and Kiambu with Sh245.9 million.
The Controller of Budget further cited Nairobi as among seven counties that did not report any expenditure towards COVID-19 interventions.
Others include Bomet, Embu, Kirinyaga, Lamu, Mandera and Marsabit respectively.
She said in the report that Mombasa County had not provided a report on the utilization of COVID-19 funds by the time the report was finalised.
