The national government is to blame for the huge debts that Nakuru County currently finds itself in, County Finance executive Anne Njenga has said.

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Speaking to the press on Tuesday in Nakuru town, Njenga said the county had accumulated Sh2.4 billion in debt dating back to June 2015, thanks to delays by the national government to release funds on time to offset such balances.

About Sh1.3 billion of the debt, she said, was for unfinished projects that the county government had initiated. 

She added that the county's huge wage bill was also to blame for the mess, stating that it gobbled about Sh5 million. 

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission last week ranked Nakuru as the most indebted county in the Rift Valley region.

During his visit last week to the county, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked residents if they had benefited from Sh23 billion which he said the treasury had allocated to the county since 2013 but the residents said no.

Pressure has been mounting on Governor Kinuthia Mbugua to explain the origin of the debts with Senator James Muingai terming the county government's spending as grossly flawed.