Governors have sounded an alarm over delayed disbursements from the National Treasury, calling for the urgent release of Ksh 104 billion owed to counties to avoid paralysis in service delivery. Council of Governors (CoG) Chairman and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi said the amount includes Ksh 74.98 billion in Equitable Share and Ksh 29.7 billion allocated to national government agencies, which counties argue should rightfully belong to them.
Of the Ksh 74.98 billion, Abdullahi noted that 11 counties are still waiting for Ksh 7.19 billion for March, while all 47 counties are owed Ksh 67 billion for the months of April and May. The delay has left many county governments struggling to fund essential services such as health, agriculture, and infrastructure.
“Additionally, over a week has passed since the signing of the County Governments Additional Allocation Act, 2025, but funds are yet to be disbursed. The Council urges the National Treasury to release both the equitable share and additional allocations to enable uninterrupted service delivery,” Abdullahi said in a statement.
The governors are also contesting the allocation of Ksh 29.7 billion to national Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), a move they say undermines devolution. They argue that such reallocation not only hampers county-level service delivery but also contradicts the spirit of the Constitution, which champions decentralization of resources.
Further fueling tensions is the proposed Ksh 405 billion allocation in the Division of Revenue Bill, 2025, for county equitable share—far below the CoG’s recommended Ksh 536.88 billion. “This figure does not account for rising non-discretionary costs and the financial burden of newly delineated functions,” said Abdullahi.
In a positive development, the CoG has announced the establishment of the Kenya Devolution Institute (KDI), a training and capacity-building hub aimed at strengthening devolution. The announcement comes ahead of the 2025 Devolution Conference scheduled to take place in Homa Bay County this August.
Governors are now appealing for swift Treasury action to prevent a full-blown financial crisis at the county level.
