The Health Ministry has said counties will be required to explain how they spent the free maternity funds before getting any additional monies from the national government.
Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu said counties will be required to give timely quarterly reports on baby deliveries before the free maternity funds are disbursed.
Dr Mailu added that counties will also be required to give the Ministry a report on how they spent the money on each delivery.
According to the CS, the delay in the reimbursement of the funds is caused by several counties which do not provide the said reports to the health ministry on time.
“There must be necessary and accurate paperwork on the statistics of deliveries coming from counties before we disburse the grant which is conditional,” he said.
Speaking to the press, the CS dismissed claims by county governments that the national government owes counties Sh7.2 billion in two years arrears saying that the ministry only owes the counties Sh1.4 billion.
“We have been prompt in disbursing the money and by Wednesday we will disburse part of the Sh1.4 billion owed to the counties,” he said.
The free maternity funds was introduced by the government to increase the number of safe deliveries in counties.
The government had budgeted for Sh4.2 billion every year to reimburse health facilities for free deliveries by mothers at the rate of Sh2.500 per birth in a health centre, Sh5,000 for level four or five and Sh17,500 for a referral hospital.