The Council of Governors (CoG) is now threatening to initiate the removal of Controller of Budget CPA Margaret Nyakang’o, accusing her of being a major impediment to the smooth functioning of devolved units.

The county chiefs have described her conduct as “intransigent and unreasonable,” claiming she has subjected counties to unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks when accessing funds, a situation they say is not only frustrating but unacceptable.

Wajir Governor FCPA Ahmed Abdullahi has now warned that the Council is ready to take legal action, including petitioning Parliament for Nyakang’o’s ouster, in a bid to end what he termed as persistent financial gridlocks that have paralysed county operations and hurt ordinary citizens.

“I want to send a clear warning to her: as a Council, we are now ready to go the legal route. We will petition both Houses of Parliament for her removal because she has made it nearly impossible for the average Kenyan to benefit from county government services,” said Governor Abdullahi.

He was speaking in Wajir during the launch of the #DontHideMe campaign, an initiative aimed at empowering children with disabilities in the county.

“The biggest threat to devolution today is the Controller of Budget’s office. There seems to be one set of rules for the national government and another, more punitive one for county governments,” he lamented. “Why should we carry invoices, contracts, and receipts all the way from Wajir to Nairobi and queue in her office for weeks just to access funds?”

The governor described the situation as a form of systemic sabotage that undermines the spirit of devolution, warning that it has far-reaching implications for service delivery.

The latest standoff between the Council of Governors and the Office of the Controller of Budget has been sparked by the introduction of a new set of disbursement conditions, referred to as the “blue checklist,” which counties must now comply with before funds are released to their accounts.

“When we sought clarification on why she was introducing a new checklist at the tail end of the requisition process, she refused to meet with the Council or offer any explanation. She seems hell-bent on frustrating counties from utilizing their budgets,” one governor said.

He further accused Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o of high-handedness and bias, alleging that counties had yet to receive their April and May allocations due to her refusal to approve their budgets.

“Because of her bad manners and constant mistreatment of counties, we are yet to receive funds for April and May. She has refused to approve the expenditure plans,” the governor added.

“This is hell. Every county is going through the same ordeal. As a country, we must ask ourselves: are we truly committed to devolution? Why is it so difficult for counties to access funds that have already been appropriated to them, especially when they only receive 9% of the national budget?” he posed.

Governor Abdullahi further decried the ripple effect of the delays, noting that counties are now struggling to pay school fees and sustain key development programs due to the financial chokehold, even after presidential pronouncements in support of timely disbursements.

“The President has spoken on this issue, but government bureaucrats are still making life difficult for everyone. It’s time for action, not more talk,” he concluded.