George Kihara’s hope of getting his pending bills paid after rendering services to the county government of Nakuru was almost dwindling.

Mr Kihara says he had supplied foodstuff, revealing that the county owes him money amounting to millions of shillings.

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu, Mr Kihara who is a supplier in the hospitality industry running Apex Resort and Utugi club and restaurant in Nakuru’s Central Business District admitted that the delayed payments have continued to cause more harm to suppliers and contractors.

Majority of them, he said, find it hard to operate after securing loans from banks to render the services, only for the payment to delay.

“We have had challenges especially with the banks after being unable to pay the loans we secured to render services,” he says.

However, it is a reprieve to contractors and suppliers in Nakuru after Governor Susan Kihika on Thursday, directed the County Treasury to ensure all eligible pending bills are paid.

According to Kihara, the change of governors in subsequent elections has also contributed to the delay in payment.

“The change of governments remains a challenge when it comes to our payments. But we laud Governor Kihika for the good gesture,” he adds.

Friends of Devolution lobby group’s Chairman Ben Macharia, while lauding the move, states that the pending bills had been a thorn in the flesh of service delivery at the county.

He called on the county administration to ensure the contractors are paid to avert derailing service delivery.

Meanwhile, Macharia has also appealed to Governor Kihika to ensure projects implementations committees are in place.

He says this is the only way to ensure works assigned to contractors have met the required standards.

pmambili@gmail.com

Suppliers laud Kihika for directive on pending bills

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Pristone Mambili