Controller of Budget (CoB) Margret Nyakang'o on Thursday unveiled a new report showing that despite public outcry, national and county governments continue to waste public funds on excessive and unnecessary travel.
Nyakang'o exposed county governments for spending Ksh 17 billion shillings on travel in the 2023/2024 financial year.
According to the CoB, the county leaders used Ksh15.28 billion on domestic travel and Ksh2.32B on foreign travel.
“During the financial year, the Controller of Budget noted excessive expenditures by county governments on travel, which may be wasteful, amounted to Ksh17.60 billion,” the report stated.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti, and Turkana Governor Jeremiah Ekamais Lomorukai Napotikan led the list of the most traveled governors spending close to Ksh1 billion each on travel.
According to the report, governors and MCAs from Nairobi, Machakos and Turkana travel mostly to China, Canada, Turkey, South Africa, and Dubai.
The controller of the budget described these travels as wasteful and extravagant. Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) were also faulted for spending so much on domestic travel.
The report detailed how 10 Turkana county executives spent Ksh2.9 million to travel to Uganda on 20 August 2023 to attend the hearing for 32 convicted pastoralists.
Nairobi County leadership led by Governor Johnson Sakaja splashed Ksh861 million on travel, Ksh329 million was used by the County Assembly while Ksh532 million was used by the Nairobi County Executives on travel.
In Nairobi County, foreign travel cost Ksh328 million which comprised of Ksh127 million by the County Assembly and Ksh200 million by the County Executive.
The revelations by the CoB come even as counties face a cash crunch, with most devolved units yet to pay their workers for three months.
Nyakang'o advised County governments to minimize travel expenditure by holding activities within their headquarters and allocating the funds to key development programs
