Kenya's first fiscal performance scorecard: See 10 counties with the worst performance

Kenya's counties have, for the first time, been subjected to a comprehensive fiscal performance assessment, offering a new way of measuring how devolved governments manage public resources.

The County Fiscal Performance Measurement Index (CFPMI), developed by Parliament's Parliamentary Budget Office for the Senate, evaluates counties using objective financial indicators rather than opinion polls.

These include own-source revenue collection, development expenditure, wage bill management, pending bills, audit outcomes, budget implementation and county assembly spending.

The index is designed to strengthen accountability in county governments and encourage better management of public finances.

It does not measure the popularity of governors or the quality of public services such as roads, healthcare or water projects.

Here are the 10 counties that ranked at the bottom of the inaugural fiscal scorecard.

10. Meru County – Governor Isaac Mutuma

Meru closes the bottom ten in the inaugural index.

Despite being one of Kenya's key agricultural counties, the report found weaknesses across the fiscal indicators used to assess financial management.

9. Bungoma County – Governor Kenneth Lusaka

Bungoma also features among the country's lowest-ranked counties.

The assessment points to challenges in managing public finances, placing the county in the bottom tier nationally.

8. Kajiado County – Governor Joseph Ole Lenku

Kajiado, one of Kenya's fastest-growing counties, ranked eighth from the bottom.

The score reflects the county's performance across the fiscal management indicators evaluated in the index.

7. Lamu County – Governor Issa Timamy

Lamu's position in the bottom ten highlights areas where the county will be expected to strengthen budget management and overall fiscal discipline in future assessments.

6. Baringo County – Governor Benjamin Cheboi

Baringo recorded one of the country's weaker fiscal performances, placing sixth from the bottom in the national ranking.

5. Nairobi County – Governor Johnson Sakaja

Despite being Kenya's commercial capital and the county with one of the largest budgets, Nairobi ranked among the lowest-performing counties in fiscal management.

The scorecard evaluates financial management practices rather than the size of a county's economy or ongoing development projects.

4. Bomet County – Governor Hillary Barchok

Bomet placed fourth from the bottom, with the assessment indicating shortcomings across the fiscal indicators used by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

3. Busia County – Governor Paul Otuoma

Busia recorded one of the country's lowest fiscal performance scores, placing third from the bottom in the inaugural index.

2. Kakamega County – Governor Fernandes Barasa

Kakamega emerged as the second-lowest ranked county.

The report points to significant room for improvement in financial management and budget performance.

1. Kisumu County – Governor Anyang' Nyong'o

Kisumu recorded the lowest overall score in Kenya's first County Fiscal Performance Measurement Index, placing it at the bottom of the national ranking.

The county's performance across the combined fiscal indicators saw it finish last among all 47 county governments.

The scorecard impact

The County Fiscal Performance Measurement Index is intended to provide an evidence-based picture of how counties manage public finances.

Rather than measuring political popularity or citizen satisfaction, it focuses on fiscal responsibility, including how counties collect and spend revenue, implement budgets, manage pending bills and comply with public finance laws.

As a result, a county's position in the rankings should not be interpreted as an overall verdict on a governor's leadership.

Instead, it reflects how the county government performed against the financial management indicators used in the assessment.

The Senate says the index will serve as a benchmark for improving accountability and encouraging counties to strengthen fiscal discipline as devolution continues to evolve.