William Ruto's Cabinet Approves Implementation Of Treasury Single Account For National, County Govts

• President William Ruto said the introduction of the Treasury Single Account will curb financial leakages and promote transparency in the management of public funds
• Ruto alleged that certain individuals within local and national governments were unlawfully profiting from the interest generated by public funds held in commercial bank accounts
• Earlier, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u introduced a single paybill number to be used across all mobile services in making payments

President William Ruto's Cabinet has approved the implementation of a Treasury Single Account (TSA) for both national and county governments.

The move aims to enhance financial transparency and efficiency and consolidate all government revenues into a single account, providing a centralised and unified platform for financial transactions.

Ruto accused some officials in local and national governments of illegally benefiting from interest from public funds deposited in commercial bank accounts.

"Government funds are banked in commercial bank accounts and individuals keep earning interest. This must stop. All the benefits of public funds must only accrue to the people of Kenya and no one else," the president reiterated on Monday, January 15.

Why Treasury introduced a single paybill

The approval of TSA came after Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u introduced a single paybill number to be used across all mobile services in making payments.

Ndung'u said the government developed the eCitizen digital payments platform to allow Kenyans to pay for services online.

This came after the government announced plans to digitise all government services and ease access by Kenyans.

How Kenya's non-tax revenue increased

Kenya's non-tax revenue collected from state agencies increased by KSh 8.6 billion in the first quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year after the government started using a single paybill.

During the period under review, non-tax revenue, which includes fees and fines, increased from KSh 84.2 billion to KSh 92.8 billion, representing a rise of 10.3%.

President William Ruto hailed the implementation of the single paybill, noting that it enhanced transparency in revenue collection.

"We are, therefore, taking strong measures to ensure that all revenue is administered transparently, efficiently, and in a secure manner. One of our best interventions is the use of digital technology and the migration of government revenue collection to a single-pay bill," Ruto said on Jamhuri Day.