Pending bills mustn’t be business as usual – Business Daily
FILE PHOTO | NMG
The Controller of Budget says Nairobi county’s pending bills rose in one year to Sh99 billion from Sh54 billion a year earlier. This happened when the celebrated Nairobi Metropolitan Services was in charge of the county.
Apart from the usual calls that doing business with the national government and counties was tormenting contractors and suppliers, it is time to look at the problem more deeply.
How could the bills rise by a huge Sh40 billion in a year when Mohamed Badi, a military officer, was head-hunted as the turnaround architect?
While the Budget chief says the county did not provide data on the payments, it is now safe to find out the root cause of the pending bills that defy the perceived top talent.
We ask the incoming administrations, at the national and county levels, to give the unpaid bills a different approach because the sluggishness is hurting the economy and homes. It must not be business as usual.
Designed to grow the grassroots, it is unacceptable that the counties are a source of misery to suppliers and contractors, some of them, including women and youth, coming under special considerations.
This phenomenon must be studied more deeply, addressed urgently and doing business with the government made attractive again.
