Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o
Dubai, Singapore, China and East African capitals have emerged as the preferred destinations for governors, county executives and MCAs as counties splurge billions on travel.
A review of county expenditure by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o shows that county governments spent Sh13.17 billion on domestic and foreign travel in just nine months.
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This is despite growing pressure on devolved units to prioritise service delivery and development projects.
The spending, detailed in the latest County Budget Implementation Review Report, reveals a pattern of frequent trips to destinations such as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, China, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa.
The journeys were reportedly undertaken for conferences, workshops, trade expos, benchmarking visits, sports activities and training programmes.
However, the sheer volume of the trips has reignited debate over whether counties are obtaining value for money from the expenditure or simply funding luxury excursions at taxpayers' expense.
The report identifies West Pokot, Kitui, Meru and Samburu as the biggest spenders on travel during the period under review.
Kitui led the pack after spending Sh523.41 million on travel, followed by Meru at Sh515.83 million, West Pokot at Sh504.28 million and Samburu at Sh444.53 million.
At the opposite end were Garissa, Elgeyo Marakwet, Mandera and Wajir, which recorded the lowest travel expenditure.
Nyakang'o warned county governments must ensure travel expenditure is properly planned and tied to official duties.
"Expenditure on domestic and foreign travel should therefore be properly planned, approved, documented and linked to official county business and service delivery objectives," she said in the report.
The Controller of Budget reminded counties that Article 201 of the constitution requires public resources to be used prudently and responsibly.
Yet the report paints a picture of county officials crisscrossing the globe in what appears to be a growing appetite for foreign travel.
Dubai remains one of the most sought-after destinations.
In Machakos alone, county executive and assembly officials made at least seven trips to Dubai during the nine months.
The same officials also made four trips to China, three to Singapore and seven to East African Community countries, including Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The county spent Sh314.04 million on travel, including Sh64.89 million on foreign trips.
Mombasa officials made eight trips to Dubai and two to Turkey, while Kisumu officials undertook four trips to Dubai and two to Singapore.
Meru MCAs made two trips to Dubai, while Marsabit officials made two trips to the emirate, alongside visits to Ethiopia, Spain, France and the United States.
County officials often justify Dubai trips as benchmarking missions on urban planning, smart city technology, tourism promotion, trade and investment opportunities.
The city has positioned itself as a global conference and exhibition hub, attracting public officials from across Africa through governance, infrastructure and economic development forums.
Singapore, another favourite destination, is widely marketed as a model for efficient public administration, urban planning, healthcare systems and revenue collection.
County governments frequently cite benchmarking on service delivery, smart governance and public finance management as reasons for visiting the Asian city-state.
China, meanwhile, remains attractive because of its role as a major financier and contractor of infrastructure projects across Kenya.
County officials often travel there to study industrial parks, manufacturing zones, transport systems and agricultural technologies.
Critics, however, argue that some of these trips offer little measurable benefit to residents and instead provide opportunities for officials to earn lucrative allowances and per diems.
The report shows some counties made repeated visits to the same destinations within a short period.
Mandera MCAs, for instance, made seven trips to Singapore and two to the UAE, while Nakuru MCAs made two trips to Singapore and five to Tanzania.
Kajiado officials made three trips to Norway, two to Turkey and one each to Singapore, Dubai and Tanzania.
Narok officials travelled to Singapore, China, India and Tanzania, while Kisii officials made two trips to China and two to Ethiopia, alongside visits to Spain, France and Uganda.
In Makueni, county officials travelled three times to South Africa, twice to Uganda and once to Tanzania.
The trend was also evident in coastal and western counties.
Bungoma officials visited Morocco, France, Mexico, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda, spending Sh373.08 million on travel.
Bomet officials travelled as far as Angola, Brazil, Australia, Spain, France, Greece and the United States.
Kakamega officials toured Uganda, Germany, Australia and the United States, while Kilifi officials travelled to Abu Dhabi, Morocco, Tanzania and Germany.
Some counties disclosed only partial details of foreign travel.
In Busia, only the county assembly provided information on destinations, revealing two trips to Dubai and one each to Ethiopia and Singapore.
Similarly, Kitui county reported that MCAs travelled to Uganda and Ethiopia but did not disclose the destinations visited by executive officials.
The Controller of Budget also flagged cases where counties failed to provide comprehensive information on foreign travel expenditure despite spending millions of shillings.
In Mandera, the county assembly reported Sh26.69 million in foreign travel expenditure but did not provide details for the entire amount.
The county executive similarly failed to disclose destinations despite spending an additional Sh19.54 million.
The report is likely to fuel calls for stricter controls on county travel expenditure, especially at a time when many counties are struggling with pending bills, stalled projects and demands for better services.
Governance experts have long questioned whether repeated benchmarking trips abroad deliver tangible benefits to wananchi.
They argue that many of the solutions being sought overseas can be studied locally at a fraction of the cost.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The report exposes the growing culture of travel spending in county governments, with officials favouring destinations such as Dubai, Singapore and China despite mounting fiscal pressures. While counties justify the trips as benchmarking and training missions, the Sh13.17 billion expenditure raises questions about value for money, especially amid stalled projects, pending bills and poor service delivery. The findings are likely to intensify scrutiny of governors and MCAs, with taxpayers demanding greater transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes from publicly funded travel.
