Council of Governors Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi has criticised the Office of the Auditor General over what he described as uneven scrutiny between national and county governments, following a report that flagged counties for questionable spending running into billions.

Speaking during a televised interview on Wednesday, August 6, 2027, the Wajir Governor said county governments are routinely placed under a tighter microscope compared to their national counterparts, despite both levels of government facing similar challenges in accountability.

“There are various reports of accountability issues across both levels of government. Counties are a bureaucracy just like the national government. The auditor general’s office is important, but we feel there is different treatment for county governments,” he said.

Abdullahi's comments came just hours after Auditor General Nancy Gathungu released a report revealing that more than 20 counties collectively spent over Ksh15 billion on legal services, domestic travel, and subsistence allowances during the financial year ending June 2024.

In her report, Gathungu raised alarm over widespread misallocation of funds, poor value for money in project implementation, and persistent resource wastage, noting that the misuse of public funds continues to derail development and hamper essential service delivery.

“Despite numerous reports indicating a lack of accountability and inadequate documents to support the legality and effectiveness in the use of public resources, failure to apply the requisite sanctions has resulted in some accounting officers not adequately accounting for public resources,” the report reads in part.

Among the counties cited, Nairobi leads with Sh6.2 billion in legal fees owed to four law firms. In Mombasa, the report flagged Sh67.5 million spent on legal services, while Nakuru paid Sh22.6 million to six legal officers.

Other counties named include Kisumu, which spent Sh46 million; Kiambu, whose court cases total Sh517.3 million; Kilifi, where Sh71.6 million was paid to six private legal practitioners; and Tana River, which disbursed Sh30.7 million to four firms handling County Executive cases.

Mandera also featured with Sh45.5 million spent on legal services.

The report further spotlighted Mombasa County for spending Sh17 million on domestic travel and subsistence. Of this, Sh4.1 million was used by the Public Service Board, Sh2.2 million by the departments of education and finance, and Sh10.6 million under the economic planning docket.

Governor Abdullahi maintained that while counties must be held accountable, the watchdog bodies should apply uniform standards and avoid creating a perception of bias that undermines devolution.