The Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG), Anne Waiguru, has called on the National Treasury to release all the funds owed to the counties.

According to Waiguru, the National Treasury owes the counties an accumulated amount of Sh125.8 billion in arrears for January, February, March and April 2023.

During a meeting of national and county government leaders from central, Waiguru spoke to the press about how delayed disbursement of funds has adversely affected operations at the counties.

She noted that the national treasury has consistently delayed in disbursing monies to county governments, going against the spirit of the constitution and the Public Finance Management Act.

Waiguru stated that all 47 counties are owed a total of Sh31.45 billion for January, Sh31.45 billion for February, Sh29.6 billion for March and Sh33.3 billion for April allocation.

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She also highlighted the challenges that the counties face due to delayed funding, including non-compliance with timely payment of employees' salaries and remittance of statutory deductions.

Furthermore, she noted that the delayed settlement of suppliers and contractors leads to the accumulation of pending bills and exposes counties to litigation.

The CoG chair also pointed out that lack of timely funding negatively affects service delivery to Kenyans due to demoralized county employees and in some instances, leads to industrial action.

Waiguru warned that further delay in disbursement of funds may bring operations in the counties to a grinding halt. She also called for a change in legislation to tackle the drug abuse menace in the country.

She said that cartels have made the fight against counterfeit liquor difficult, and proposed a law that will define the distance between one bar and the next, while bars close to schools and churches should be closed without negotiation.

Additionally, she suggested the creation of a national joint licensing body to standardize liquor businesses across the country.