Governor Malombe Rejects Kitui Budget Bill, Proposes Strategic Amendments
Kitui Governor Julius Malombe has declined to sign the county’s Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2024, citing significant reservations about its contents. The bill, presented for his assent on November 28, aimed to authorize the allocation of funds from the County Revenue Fund for the 2024/25 financial year.
In a memorandum addressed to the county assembly speaker on November 29, Governor Malombe explained his decision, stating: “In exercise of the powers conferred to me by Section 24(2) of the County Governments Act, 2012, and having reservations on the contents of the Kitui County Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2024, I decline to assent to the Bill.”
Among his recommendations, the governor proposed removing the assembly’s allocation of an additional Ksh.100 million for constructing a new office block. He also suggested dropping the Ksh.60 million allocation for hiring and leasing tractors, highlighting the complications in leasing equipment directly from the private sector due to procurement constraints. “It is a complicated matter to lease equipment directly from the private sector with respect to procurement processes; lease of equipment from the National Government/National Youth Service is too expensive compared to those from the private sector,” Malombe noted.
The governor emphasized the need to shift focus from road grading to road construction. “Most roads in the county have been destroyed by rains, and therefore we need to construct the roads rather than maintain them through grading,” he said.
Malombe also recommended reinstating Ksh.15 million for the integrated lands information management system under the lands department, an amount that had been reduced by Ksh.12 million by the assembly. Additionally, he urged the allocation of Ksh.24.5 million for road improvement under the Dustless Towns program, which had seen its entire Ksh.65 million balance eliminated by the MCAs.
Other critical adjustments include reinstating Ksh.6.5 million for furnishing 247 village administrators’ offices and restoring Ksh.5.5 million to enhance the budget for the governor’s communication activities.
Governor Malombe’s detailed recommendations reflect his commitment to prioritizing health, water, and infrastructure development for Kitui residents.
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Governor Malombe Rejects Kitui Budget Bill, Proposes Strategic Amendments
