A new report by the Controller of Budget (CoB) reveals that Kenyan county governments spent the first quarter of the financial year primarily on salaries and allowances, with development projects largely neglected, raising concerns about stalled progress and service delivery.

• Counties absorbed only 2 per cent of their total development budgets.
• The CoB report highlighted that Baringo, West Pokot, Vihiga, and Turkana counties allocated zero funds to development projects despite receiving billions.
• Counties like Isiolo led in overall budget absorption with 21 per cent, while Tana River, Nyandarua, and Kericho performed worst at 4 per cent each.
• Samburu led in own-source revenue generation, achieving 40 per cent of its annual target, whereas Siaya only managed 6 per cent.