Kilifi County probes Sh10 billion in pending bills amid claims of ghost projects

Kilifi County probes Sh10 billion in pending bills amid claims of ghost projects - Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro at a past event.(X/Gideon Mung'aro)

The exercise follows a Senate committee report that put Kilifi’s pending bills at more than Sh10 billion, raising questions about the county’s financial obligations and the circumstances under which the debts accumulated.

Kilifi County is investigating pending bills worth more than Sh10 billion to establish how much it legitimately owes contractors and suppliers, amid concerns over claims linked to projects allegedly undertaken during previous administrations.

Governor Gideon Mung’aro said the county government was reviewing the outstanding bills to separate genuine debts from claims for work that was never carried out.

The exercise follows a Senate committee report that put Kilifi’s pending bills at more than Sh10 billion, raising questions about the county’s financial obligations and the circumstances under which the debts accumulated.

Mung’aro said the county’s finance department was conducting the investigations with the support of external experts to establish the validity of each claim before any payments were made.

He alleged that billions of shillings had been paid to contractors for projects that did not exist during previous administrations, a practice he said had affected the availability of funds for service delivery.

“Those allegations made by the Senate about pending bills were recorded, and we are verifying each one of them because we realised that contractors who are currently protesting the loudest were the ones with ghost claims dating back to even 2015,” he said.

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The governor said the verification process would determine which contractors had legitimate claims and which had submitted bills that could not be supported by evidence of completed work.

“The Department of Finance is investigating the bills, and we have also appointed external experts to help establish the truth of the matter,” he added.

The investigations come amid continued scrutiny of pending bills owed by county governments, which can affect the delivery of public services when unpaid obligations limit the funds available for other expenditure.

For Kilifi, the outcome of the exercise will determine which claims qualify for payment and whether allegations of fictitious projects can be substantiated.

Mung’aro said his administration would not authorise payments for work that contractors could not prove had been undertaken, while maintaining that suppliers and contractors with genuine claims would be paid.

“If your work is ghost, look for another work; you will not be paid,” he said.

The governor did not provide a breakdown of the Sh10 billion in pending bills, the number of claims under investigation or a timeline for completing the verification exercise.

It was also not immediately clear how much of the outstanding amount related to projects initiated before Mung’aro took office and how much involved obligations incurred under the current administration.

The verification is therefore expected to establish the scale of the county’s legitimate liabilities and clarify the status of claims submitted by contractors and suppliers.

The findings could also determine whether any claims require further investigation into alleged misuse of public funds.