39 Kenyan county governments, including Nairobi and Mombasa, exceeded the legal limit for salary payments, spending over 35% of their total revenue on wages in the 2024/2025 financial year. This irregularity was highlighted by the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang'o, in her recent report.

• A total of Ksh 220.64 billion was used by counties for employee compensation, representing 47% of their total expenditure.
• Only eight county governments adhered to the 35% ceiling, with Kilifi using the least at 24%.
• Nyeri County recorded the highest overspending, using 55% of its revenue (Ksh 4.51 billion) for salaries.
• The report also flagged Ksh 10.7 billion in manually processed payrolls and 16 county governments failing to requisition June 2025 salaries.

Nairobi County workers initiated a "go-slow" strike on Thursday, September 18, due to two months of delayed salaries and remittances, pressuring Governor Sakaja's administration.

• The strike follows the county's defiance of an August 11 "return-to-work" agreement to pay salaries by the fifth day of each month.
• Calvince Okello, Secretary of the Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU), Nairobi branch, advised members to slow services or stay home if unable to commute.
• Previous salary delays on August 6 led to a physical standoff, paralyzing City Hall and forcing the signing of the now-breached agreement.

Nairobi County, led by Governor Sakaja, has been ranked last in development expenditure according to a report by the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o. The county spent significantly less than legally mandated on development projects.

• Nairobi County spent only Ksh4 billion out of Ksh14 billion allocated for development, representing a mere 12 percent of its total expenditure and a 28.7 percent absorption rate of its development budget.
• This violates Section 107(2)(b) of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act of 2012, which requires at least 30 percent of county budgets to be allocated to development expenditures.
• Other counties with low development spending include Machakos (Ksh1.9 billion, 16 percent), Kisumu (Ksh1.5 billion, 17 percent), Kiambu (Ksh2.9 billion, 18 percent), and Kajiado (Ksh1.7 billion, 18 percent).

A recent report reveals that several Kenyan counties, including Nairobi, Kitui, and Machakos, have collectively spent hundreds of millions of shillings on domestic and foreign travel, often at the expense of development projects.

• Kitui County was the highest spender on travel, allocating Ksh 536.9 million to local travel and Ksh 72 million to foreign engagements.
• Nairobi County spent Ksh 630.3 million on domestic travel alone, with Ksh 271.3 million from the County Assembly and Ksh 359.1 million from the Executive.
• Machakos County spent Ksh 532 million on domestic travel and an additional Ksh 99 million on foreign trips to countries like Brazil, Dubai, and China.
• The report highlights that travel expenses in some County Assemblies even surpassed development budgets for critical sectors like water and agriculture.
• Counties collectively spent Ksh 346.98 billion on recurrent costs, representing 74 percent of total expenditure, prioritizing salaries and operations over development.
• Nairobi City County recorded the highest recurrent expenditure at Ksh 29.43 billion, including Ksh 18.3 billion for employee compensation.