The Standing Committee on Finance and Budget has hailed Kisii County Governor Simba Arati for paying all verified pending bills. 

This development comes after the Committee learnt that the County Executive of Kisii formed a Pending Bills Committee in November 2022 to review outstanding obligations for the 2021/2022 Financial Year. 

This committee verified the claims and found Kshs231,443,172 eligible bills, which have since been fully settled, and declared Kshs1,071,435,683 ineligible due to non-compliance and lack of supporting documentation. 

A second internal committee re-evaluated the ineligible bills and found that Kshs185,273,881 were conditionally eligible for payment, pending further compliance. 

In a meeting with Governor Arati in Kisii Town yesterday, 9th June, Senators emphasised the need for transparency, respect for institutions, and the seriousness of governance, urging the county boss not to succumb to the pressure of paying pending bills without proper verification. 

The Members of the Senator Ali Roba-led Committee counselled the Kisii County Executive to write to the specific contractors whose claims have elements of suspected fraud, informing them that their contracts cannot be processed for payment and allow them to prove the legitimacy of their contracts.

“Governor, you need to write to the specific contractors and tell them why you cannot process their payment to avoid future complications. Do not make payments which are suspected of fraud due to pressure or drama,” Senator Ali Roba advised. 

They urged the Governor to prioritise paying all the contractors who have already completed their projects, highlighting the positive impact that such a significant amount of money would have on the county’s economy. 

Governor Arati thanked the Finance Committee for its resolve to solve the pending bills problem and pledged his county’s resolve to settle genuine claims and strengthen systems to avoid future accumulation of pending bills. 

“To ensure continuous review of the pending bills, I have formed the third pending bills committee for a term of three years. This committee has already called on the public to submit their pending bills for verification,” the Kisii County boss said.