Senators on Tuesday, August 8, issued an 84-day ultimatum to Kisii Governor Simba Arati, demanding an explanation for the accumulation of Ksh1.6 billion in pending bills within the devolved unit.
Expressing concerns about the state of affairs in the county, the senators pointed out that suppliers who have provided goods and services to the county before are now burdened by debt.
The senators further stated that the accumulation is hindering the circulation of money in the local economy.
Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget, Governor Arati defended the accrued bills. He explained that when he assumed office, his administration lacked clarity and proper documentation regarding the eligibility of the pending bills left behind by his predecessor, James Ongwae.
The county chief explained this forced him to establish the County Pending Bills and Ineligible Resolution Committee to investigate the authenticity of the bills amounting to billions.
Governor Arati highlighted that after conducting an audit of the pending bills, his administration had discovered irregularities in the pending bills owed to 90 different entities.
The inquiry confirmed that just Ksh231.4 million of the outstanding bills were valid.
Consequently, the county has settled Ksh111.9 million of these acceptable bills, while the remaining Ksh119.5 million has been factored in the 2023/2024 financial year.
"Governor Arati who appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget told the committee that his government inherited pending bills documented for the financial year 2021/2022 as of June 30, 2022, amounting to Ksh 1,393,854,414," read part of the parliament document from the session.
Following this discovery, his government decided to temporarily suspend payment for all non-valid bills.
During the session, it was also established that most of the pending bills were inherited from the previous regime with most being accrued in the financial year, 2021/2022.
As such, the senators resolved to summon former Governor James Ongwae to shed more light on the issue.
Several governors have complained about inheriting massive pending bills from their predecessors.
