Siaya County Opens 191 New Bank Accounts in Just Three Months

Siaya County increased the number of commercial bank accounts it operates by 191 in just three months, one of the sharpest changes recorded by county governments, according to a new budget implementation review report.

The report, which covers the first nine months of the 2025/26 financial year ending March 31, 2026, shows that Siaya County’s commercial bank accounts rose from 37 as of December 31, 2025, to 228 by March 31, 2026.

The findings are contained in the latest County Governments Budget Implementation Review Report, which also reveals that county governments collectively operated 6,585 commercial bank accounts as of March 31, 2026, up from 6,386 accounts reported three months earlier.

CoB Raises Transparency Concerns Over County Bank Accounts

However, the report raises concerns over transparency, noting that county treasuries had not submitted copies of authorization letters for these accounts to the Controller of Budget (CoB) as required by law.

Under Regulation 81 of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015, county government bank accounts must be opened and maintained with the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) except for accounts used for imprest, petty cash, revenue collection, and other accounts specifically approved under the regulations.

Regulation 82 further requires accounting officers to obtain written authorization before opening bank accounts and obligates county treasuries to submit copies of the authorization letters to the Controller of Budget.

“This assures the legality, purpose and completeness of bank accounts operated by county entities,” the report reads in part.

The Controller of Budget said the failure to submit the documents limits transparency and makes it difficult to ascertain the number and purpose of commercial bank accounts maintained by counties.

“However, County Treasuries had not submitted copies of authorization letters for these accounts to the Controller of Budget, as required, thereby limiting transparency and assurance regarding the number and purpose of commercial bank accounts maintained by counties.

Also Read: Top 5 Richest Counties in Kenya

Siaya and Makueni Lead Counties in New Bank Accounts

The report further observed significant and unexplained changes in the number of accounts reported by several counties between December 31, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

The Controller of Budget specifically flagged variations in the reported number of accounts in counties including Meru, Siaya, Taita-Taveta, West Pokot, Makueni, Busia and Laikipia, noting that the reasons behind the changes were not explained.

Apart from Siaya, Makueni reported an increase of 230 accounts, bringing the total from 24 to 254 during the period.

Busia added 94 accounts, increasing from 57 to 151, while Taita-Taveta added 65 accounts, increasing from 37 to 102.

Laikipia’s accounts rose from 44 to 82, while Uasin Gishu added five accounts and Nyamira increased its accounts by 15.

Conversely, some counties reported significant reductions in the number of accounts. Meru’s reported accounts dropped sharply from 529 to 67, while Machakos reduced its accounts from 287 to 225 and Mombasa’s fell from 94 to 78.

Also Read: How Counties Will Share Ksh428 Billion Bonanza as Ruto Signs Key Revenue Bill

Commercial Bank Accounts Operated by County Governments

Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates

Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o PHOTO/Controller of Budget