The Murang'a County Government has announced that it will delay the payment of June salaries for its employees. The delay is due to a cash crunch facing the county, which is owed billions of shillings by the National Treasury.
In a memo to staff, the county government stated that the salaries will be paid as soon as possible, noting that Governor Irungu Kang'ata and his administration were working to restore normalcy.
Edward Irungu, the Chief Officer of Public Service and Administration in the county noted that the delay was regrettable but revealed senior officials led by Governor Kang'ata were working to secure the funds to pay its employees.
"The County Government has been experiencing challenges necessitated by the closure of the last financial year which ended on June 30, 2023. As a result, the majority of payments have been affected," Irungu said in a statement.
"We take this opportunity to assure you of our commitment to have the salaries processed soonest. Further, we wish to confirm that a permanent solution is being sought to ensure the prompt processing of salaries to employee's accounts. We thank you for your patience," Chief Officer Irungu stated.
The delay in salary payment is the latest in a series of financial problems facing the Murang'a County government. In recent months, the county has been forced to cut back on some services which Governor Irungu had promised his constituents.
The Murang'a County chief officer observed that the delay in salary payment is likely to have a significant impact on the lives of Murang'a County employees.
Irungu noted that many employees are already struggling to make ends meet, and the delay in salary payment will only make things worse.
It was also noted that many employees are essential to the provision of services, and their absence will put a strain on the county's ability to deliver these services.
The financial problems facing Murang'a County are not unique. Many counties in the country are facing similar problems due to the late disbursement of funds from the National Treasury.
This has led to delays in salary payments, service cuts, and even go-slows by county employees.
County governments have been receiving more allocations after President William Ruto on April 27, assented to the Division of Revenue Bill 2023.
The devolved units had started getting part of the allocation of Ksh385 billion after receiving an additional Ksh10 Billion which is 4.2 percent increase from the previous Ksh370 billion.
The Division of Revenue Bill, 2023 outlined that the national government had allocated Kshh 2.1 billion with the projected revenue collection to facilitate the seamless allocation projected at Ksh 2.5 billion.
