Kenya's Counties Struggle to Meet Money Goals.
Kenya has 47 counties, each with its own government. These governments are supposed to collect money to help pay for things like schools, hospitals, and roads, but a new report says they are having a hard time doing that.
The report is from Margaret Nyakang'o, the Controller of Budget. She tracks how the counties spend their money.
Nyakang'o says all the counties set goals for how much money they wanted to collect this year. They were aiming high, but not a single county was able to collect as much as they hoped.
Some countries did worse than others. Nairobi, the biggest city, wanted to receive 20 billion shillings—that's a lot! But they only collected 2.1 billion. Mombasa and Kiambu had similar problems. They got way less than they planned.
It was the same story in many other places. Kisumu, Machakos, Nakuru, Kilifi - they all fell short. Some by a little, some by a lot.
Counties like Kajiado, Bungoma, and Makueni really struggled. They didn't even come close to their goals. Laikipia, Nyeri, Murang'a, and Kisii had a tough time.
Even counties that set smaller targets had trouble. Trans Nzoia only wanted 368.3 million shillings, but they barely got a quarter of that.
Wajir did a bit better. Their goal was only 80 million, and they got more than half. But West Pokot and Marsabit still missed their marks.
Nyakango did find a few bright spots. Tana River got 81% of what it wanted, but most counties were in the single digits.
Nyakango has some ideas to help. She thinks the counties should use a special tool to determine how much money they can really get, and then they can make better plans.
She also says counties that are really struggling should change their goals. They should aim for less than they can afford so they won't end up owing a lot of money.
Mostly, Nyakango wants the counties to be careful with their money. They need to make sure they don't spend more than they have. That's the only way to keep things running smoothly.
It's not easy—running a county is hard work. But Nyakango believes that if the counties follow her advice, they can do better. They can provide the services their people need without going broke.
Kenya is counting on them to figure it out. The whole country will be better off if they do.
Kenya has 47 counties, each with its own government. These governments are supposed to collect money to help pay for things like schools, hospitals, and roads, but a new report says they are having a hard time doing that.
The report is from Margaret Nyakang'o, the Controller of Budget. She tracks how the counties spend their money.
Nyakang'o says all the counties set goals for how much money they wanted to collect this year. They were aiming high, but not a single county was able to collect as much as they hoped.
Some countries did worse than others. Nairobi, the biggest city, wanted to receive 20 billion shillings—that's a lot! But they only collected 2.1 billion. Mombasa and Kiambu had similar problems. They got way less than they planned.
It was the same story in many other places. Kisumu, Machakos, Nakuru, Kilifi - they all fell short. Some by a little, some by a lot.
Counties like Kajiado, Bungoma, and Makueni really struggled. They didn't even come close to their goals. Laikipia, Nyeri, Murang'a, and Kisii had a tough time.
Even counties that set smaller targets had trouble. Trans Nzoia only wanted 368.3 million shillings, but they barely got a quarter of that.
Wajir did a bit better. Their goal was only 80 million, and they got more than half. But West Pokot and Marsabit still missed their marks.
Nyakango did find a few bright spots. Tana River got 81% of what it wanted, but most counties were in the single digits.
Nyakango has some ideas to help. She thinks the counties should use a special tool to determine how much money they can really get, and then they can make better plans.
She also says counties that are really struggling should change their goals. They should aim for less than they can afford so they won't end up owing a lot of money.
Mostly, Nyakango wants the counties to be careful with their money. They need to make sure they don't spend more than they have. That's the only way to keep things running smoothly.
It's not easy—running a county is hard work. But Nyakango believes that if the counties follow her advice, they can do better. They can provide the services their people need without going broke.
Kenya is counting on them to figure it out. The whole country will be better off if they do.
