Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu found himself under intense questioning in the Senate after revelations that his county government has not cleared over Sh1.3 billion owed to contractors and suppliers from previous administrations.
Senators raised concerns that these debts have remained unpaid for more than three years, in direct violation of public finance rules which require older bills to be settled before new ones.
During a County Public Accounts Committee session on Thursday, senators also probed Sh1.15 billion in pending bills that lacked essential documents such as contracts, requisitions, and delivery notes.
Lawmakers expressed frustration that Governor Irungu’s administration has prioritized newer obligations while leaving inherited debts unresolved.
Regulation 41(2) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015, mandates that pending bills be treated as a first charge. Despite this, the Sh1.3 billion in old debts remains mostly unsettled.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s report for the financial year ending June 30, 2025, shows that the county paid Sh564 million in pending bills during the period, along with Sh251.5 million in the current financial year.
Payments in previous years totaled Sh456.2 million in 2024 and Sh576.2 million in 2023. By December 31, 2025, only Sh96.3 million of the older bills had been cleared.
Senators criticized the approach, saying it appeared selective and unfair.
“The trend we are seeing here is like the governor can choose to pay his friends while those not loyal to the governor end up not being paid,” said Laikipia Senator John Kinyua.
Tharaka Nithi Senator Mwenda Gataya added, “We have been treated to a lot of literature but no explanation on why the county government cannot pay the old pending bills first.”
Governor Irungu acknowledged the lapse and committed to correcting it.
“We take the committee’s advice, and where there is a mistake, we shall correct it. We will come up with an ageing analysis policy on pending bills,” he said.
Taita Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma pressed for a clear timeline for payment.
“Have you budgeted for the old pending bills, or when do you plan to pay them, because some of the things you are telling us might just be stories?” he asked.
The governor assured the committee that old pending bills would be included in this year’s payment plans.
The committee also raised issues over the Sh1.15 billion in undocumented pending bills. Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni cautioned that some of the claims might not be genuine.
“This is a complex issue, and you can find that some people supplied air and are pushing to be paid,” he said.
Governor Irungu said the county was validating the claims and would derecognize those without proper documentation.
“We included the pending bills to have visibility of all the trade payable claims. Already, some pending bills worth Sh674.7 million have been supported with documents, with those worth Sh967 million remaining,” he said.
Senator Mwaruma warned against fabricating documents.
“Will this exercise give you time to manufacture documents? If a service was offered, then documents must be there,” he said.
Further scrutiny was on Sh24.9 million paid to eight private law firms without written approvals from the accounting officer or documented urgency, contrary to the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.
Senators questioned why the county, with a legal officer and legal adviser, had engaged outside lawyers. The county defended the payments, saying the law allows such engagements under certain conditions.
Additionally, senators noted that Laikipia’s wage bill of Sh3.28 billion consumes 55 per cent of the county’s total revenue of Sh5.97 billion, well above the legal limit of 35 per cent.
The county explained the high payroll was inherited from former local authorities and devolved national departments covering trade, agriculture, infrastructure, and health.
