Shock as Narok’s pending bills surge by Sh5.8 billion in a year

Governor Patrick Ntutu/HANDOUT

Fresh revelations have emerged over Narok county’s ballooning debt, with pending bills hitting Sh6.65 billion in just one year.

The mounting debts have dealt a big blow to contractors, who delivered goods and services to the county.

The disclosures came during the grilling of Governor Patrick Ntutu by the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’, over the audit queries for the period ending June 30, 2025.

Lawmakers were alarmed to learn the county’s trade payables had surged almost ninefold, from Sh773 million to Sh6.65 billion within a single financial year.

“Governor, we were a bit alarmed to learn that your trade payables, or pending bills, had increased from Sh773 million to Sh6.6 billion,” Kajwang’ said.

“Can your bookkeepers explain this? Or are you able to explain that? That is almost a ninefold increase in one year.”

In response, Ntutu insisted the total pending bills reflected payments for projects completed over two years, not just one, as the committee had been led to believe.

“The issue of pending bills, from wherever we sit, is the total amount of projects done by the county government,” he said.

“When I look at Sh6.6 billion from Sh773 million, this is the total amount of money we have accumulated for the projects that we have done in the entire two years, not one year as indicated here.”

However, the committee pressed for a more detailed review.

Kajwang said, “We might want the auditor general to do a deeper analysis.”

“We have Sh1.9 billion in unremitted retirement benefits. We need an ageing analysis—how old is this debt? Is it three years old or one year?”

Office of the Auditor General officials confirmed their records showed all the pending bills were accumulated within the 2024–25 financial year.

“The ageing analysis provided to the auditor states that it was only for one financial year. Whoever prepared the financial statements indicated zero for other years,” a committee official said.

Senator Samson Cherargei raised concerns over the unprecedented growth in debt, describing the Sh5.9 billion increase as “too huge to ignore”.

He questioned whether mega projects had been initiated to justify the spike and demanded evidence of budget allocation for the pending payments.

“This growth is alarming. Your pending bills grew nine times from Sh773 million to Sh6.6 billion. That ought to be investigated,” Cherargei said, adding the county must provide a proper ageing analysis and a payment plan for the Sh6.6 billion.

The committee also demanded clarification on staff payables, which were not disclosed in the county’s financial statements, raising further concerns about transparency in Narok county’s financial management.

The CPAC has since indicated it will require a detailed audit report to determine how such massive debts were accumulated within a single year, and whether governance and financial management procedures were adequately followed.

The revelation has sent shockwaves among local contractors, many of whom rely on timely payments from county governments to sustain operations.

With Narok county’s debt spiralling out of control, scrutiny from the Senate promises more questions than answers in the coming weeks.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Narok county’s pending bills skyrocketed from Sh773 million to Sh6.65 billion in a single financial year, shocking contractors and raising accountability concerns. During Senate CPAC hearings, Governor Patrick Ntutu claimed the amount reflected payments for projects over two years, but auditors’ records indicate accumulation within one year. Lawmakers highlighted unremitted statutory contributions, retirement benefits, and undisclosed staff payables, demanding a detailed ageing analysis and payment plan. The surge exposes weak financial management, poor transparency, and potential governance lapses, prompting calls for a deeper audit and investigation.