GOVERNORS SHUTS DOWN ALL COUNTY OFFICES

The governors will gather next week to decide on the scheduled Counties were forced to close their doors after the government failed to release Sh94.4 billion.

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, who also chairs the Council of Governors Committee on Finance, Planning, and Economic Affairs, stated that the National Treasury had yet to issue funding for March to May.

“We will meet as a Council of Governors next week to discuss the possibility of closing counties.” “The National Treasury has broken its promise to release funds on time and to ensure county absorption,” stated Baraza.

The Governor spoke at an event in Kakamega to honor county tax officers for increased collections in the previous fiscal year.

“The Council of Governors will meet next week to reassess the position of closing counties in light of the National Government’s delays in releasing the Equitable Share of Revenue,” Barasa stated.

He stated that counties cannot have arrears of up to four months with the current financial year nearly over.

“We have arrears for March totaling Sh29.4billion, April is Sh33.3billion, and May is Sh31.45billion, so our fallback becomes our own source revenue,” Barasa explained.He stated that within the next month, we must devise a dependable and predictable technique for timely transfer of money.

“As COG’s Finance Chair, I want to state unequivocally that all 47 counties have written to Treasury requesting that all funds be released as soon as possible.”