Homa Bay County Vindicated as Controller of Budget Corrects Report Error

Homa Bay County has been cleared of claims that it was operating unauthorized bank accounts after the Office of the Controller of Budget (CoB) admitted to an error in its latest financial oversight report.

In the County Governments Budget Implementation Review Report (CGBIRR) for 2024/25, the county was initially flagged for running 584 accounts in commercial banks. However, county officials raised objections, pointing out that the figure was misleading. In a letter dated September 18, 2025, Homa Bay clarified that the inflated tally had wrongly included 284 Level 1 community health units, which do not operate bank accounts.

Following the county’s clarification, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o acknowledged the mistake and promised a correction. “The Office regrets this inaccuracy and commits to take prompt corrective action on the above inaccuracy in line with our revision policy,” she stated in a formal communication to the county’s finance department.

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Dr. Nyakang’o emphasized that the correction would be reflected in a revised edition of the CGBIRR, adding that the move was necessary to “maintain the integrity and accuracy of the published information.”

The revised figures show that Homa Bay County manages 272 bank accounts. These include 207 accounts for Level 2 and 3 health facilities, 24 for Level 4 and 5 facilities, 35 for vocational training centres, five for county funds such as bursary and emergency funds, and three accounts dedicated to Own Source Revenue and staff salaries.

The incident highlights both the importance of transparency in county financial management and the need for accuracy in national oversight reports. Errors of this nature, officials warn, risk undermining public trust in fiscal accountability systems that are central to devolution.