Governor Wavinya appears before the Senate Public Accounts Committee. Photo Andrew Mbuva. 
By Andrew Mbuva
The County Government of Machakos has reaffirmed its commitment to settling pending bills despite operating under tight financial constraints, Governor Wavinya Ndeti has said.
Appearing before the Senate on Monday alongside officials from the Department of Finance to respond to audit queries for the 2023/2024 Financial Year, Governor Wavinya reported that her administration had cleared over KSh 108 million in pending bills over the last eight months.
“In the last eight months, we have paid KSh 108 million. This clearly shows that we continue to prioritize the settlement of inherited pending bills despite limited financial resources,” she told the Senate.
The governor further disclosed that her administration had allocated KSh 553 million in the upcoming 2025/2026 Financial Year for the same purpose.
To enhance transparency and prevent arbitrary reallocation of funds, she added that a supplementary budget had already been submitted to the County Assembly for approval.
Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu called on the county to thoroughly audit all pending bills to ensure only genuine claims are paid.
She raised concerns that some contractors who delivered services to the County Government have had their properties auctioned due to prolonged delays in payment.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Vice Chairperson, Senator Johnes Mwaruma, who chaired the session, lauded the Machakos County Government for its ongoing reforms and urged the administration to scale up its efforts in service delivery.
"Machakos, you are not badly off—you’re trying—but stretch yourselves a bit more. We want to see better services in the counties," said Senator Mwaruma, adding that Senate appearances are not just about accountability, but also an opportunity for capacity building.
