Kilifi Governor Mung’aro cites health reasons for Senate absence during pending bills probe

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro. (Photo: Handout)

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has broken his silence over his failure to appear before senators investigating the county’s Sh10 billion in reported pending bills, saying he missed the hearing because doctors ordered him to rest after receiving treatment at a Mombasa hospital.

Mung’aro’s absence from the Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (SCPC) sittings in Malindi forced an adjournment, putting the governor under scrutiny over his failure to personally respond to questions about the county’s outstanding payments.

Speaking during the launch of the upgraded Kijiwetanga–Jakaranda road in Malindi Sub-County, Mung’aro dismissed suggestions that he was afraid of facing the Senate, insisting that his health had prevented him from attending the proceedings.

He said he would have preferred to appear before the committee in person but had been advised against doing so by his doctors.

His explanation came after Deputy Governor Flora Chibule appeared before the committee during a subsequent sitting, telling senators that the county had verified Sh5.1 billion in pending bills, against the Sh10 billion reported earlier.

Chibule also said the county had set aside Sh500 million in October to settle some of the verified obligations.

The figures raise questions about the difference between the reported amount and the bills the county says it has verified, although Mung’aro’s latest remarks focused on his health and his willingness to face the committee rather than the discrepancy.

The governor also cited a ranking by the Office of the Controller of Budget, claiming Kilifi had emerged as the leading county in development expenditure.

However, the claim did not address the outstanding bills or explain how the county arrived at the two different figures.

His absence had drawn attention during the Senate’s week-long sittings at the county assembly chambers in Malindi, where the committee was examining the county’s financial affairs.

The pending bills remain a key issue for contractors and suppliers who depend on payments from county governments to sustain their businesses and meet their own financial obligations.

The outstanding questions concern the county’s actual debt, the verification of pending bills and the plan to clear the verified amount.