National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has extended the term of the task force tasked with validating the pending bills for an additional six months. The extension, announced via a Gazette notice on January 31, 2025, will take effect from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The task force, led by former Auditor-General Edward Ouko, was originally appointed to scrutinize and authenticate government claims dating back to 2005.
The extension comes at a crucial time following significant progress made by the task force, which has successfully validated Sh206 billion worth of pending bills. These bills are among those under Sh10 million, and the team’s efforts have so far focused on clearing those that meet the criteria. National Treasury CS Mbadi confirmed that the government is preparing to pay off the verified bills, following a preliminary report from Ouko’s team.
“We have received a preliminary report indicating that, out of the Sh665 billion worth of bills submitted for review, around Sh474 billion have been analysed, with Sh206 billion cleared. This indicates that many of these bills could either be fictitious or inflated with excessive interest and penalties,” Mbadi
The validation process began in October 2023, with the formation of an 18-member committee, chaired by Edward Ouko and deputised by Tirop Kosgey. The committee was tasked with scrutinizing national government bills that accumulated between June 2005 and June 2022, with a mandate to determine their legitimacy. The committee’s work has provided much-needed transparency in identifying discrepancies, as pending bills had previously ballooned to a staggering Sh481 billion by June 2022.
The extended task force now faces the challenge of addressing the remaining bills, many of which may contain questionable charges or unverifiable claims. The team’s function is to establish clear criteria for the examination of such claims, ensuring that only legitimate bills are processed for payment.
The ongoing work of the task force is an important step in improving public financial management and restoring confidence in the government’s ability to settle outstanding obligations. However, with several months still left to go, the final resolution of the pending bills issue will depend on the thoroughness of the team’s continued investigations and the government’s ability to pay off the verified claims.
As the task force prepares for another six months of intensive work, all eyes will be on the final findings and the government’s ability to settle the remaining outstanding debts.
