Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa has announced that the Senate Committee on Devolution will meet with Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to clarify the number of bank accounts held by county governments.
Thang’wa said the committee expects the CS to provide information on which counties received approval to open multiple bank accounts.
“Once we have the facts, the committee will convene to decide the way forward,”
he said.
He added that, based on the findings, the committee would make strong recommendations. Thang’wa was speaking to journalists after a committee session held at Serena Beach Resort in Mombasa County.
He stated that county governments will be required to either close any unauthorized accounts or seek proper approval from the national government.
Accompanied by Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, the Senator noted that there is currently no consensus on the lawful number of bank accounts a county should operate. He explained that different officials, including Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, Controller of Budget Dr. Margaret Nyakang’o, or even local senators, might all give different figures when asked.
“To make matters worse, if you ask the local senator, they might provide yet another number,”
Thang’wa said.
He revealed that in his own county, Kiambu, there is significant confusion:
“According to the Auditor General, the county has 276 bank accounts, but the county itself claims 74. I don’t even know the actual number.”
The Senator said the committee has now directed both the Auditor General and the Controller of Budget to issue a circular compelling all county governments to disclose how many bank accounts they operate.
