Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi has warned that counties are struggling to operate under the new government e-procurement system and recent budget guidelines.
Speaking during the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) meeting on Monday, September 29, 2025, Abdullahi said the first quarter of the financial year had been disastrous for county operations.
“Generally, Q1 is slow, but this Q1 is disastrous. Disastrous because we’ve not been able to spend money at all on account of the challenges that we’ve had,” he said. Abdullahi explained that delays in funds release, coupled with strict procurement procedures, have left counties unable to provide essential services to residents.
The governor noted that while counties do not oppose automation, the current electronic government procurement (EGP) system has created unnecessary bottlenecks.
“We have no problem with automation, but this EGP thing will either be revised along the way or it will be implemented with pain that was not necessary,” Abdullahi remarked.
He cited examples, including delays in acquiring essential drugs, fuel for municipal services, and other emergency supplies. “A lot of governors have been frozen here by their fuel vendors. Our municipalities, if they don’t get fuel for two days, all the garbage is placed on the roads,” he said, emphasising the practical consequences of the stalled procurement processes.
Counties pushed to the wall
Abdullahi, who also serves as the Chair of the Council of Governors (CoG), stressed that the challenges faced are not unique to Wajir but affect counties across the country. He urged national policymakers to consider the diversity of county operations when designing budget and procurement rules.
“Sometimes we feel that the policymakers don’t think only for Nairobi and its environs. They don’t appreciate the challenges that we have,” he said.
The CoG Chair called for continuous engagement between the national and county governments to resolve these issues. He added that some counties have been unable to pay salaries due to errors in budget mapping under IFMIS.
“These issues are best resolved at IBEC,” he concluded, calling for collaborative solutions to ensure counties can function efficiently.
