- Governor Wavinya Ndeti has called for dialogue with Machakos MCAs to resolve the stalemate over the 2026/27 county budget.
- The assembly has approved a vote on account allowing the county executive to withdraw 50 per cent of the budget as the impasse continues.
- Wavinya disputed claims over pending bills and budget allocations, saying Ksh4.6 billion was outstanding as of June 30, 2026.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has declared she is ready to engage Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to unlock the current stalemate on the county’s 2026/27 budget whose delay in passage has paralysed delivery of essential services.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, a day after the county assembly passed a vote-on-account motion authorising the executive to withdraw 50 percent of county budget amid stand-off over allocations, Wavinya warned the delay in budget processing has hurt innocent residents who expect elected leaders to discharge delegated authority with honesty and transparency.
“What I want to tell the MCAs is that it is time to stand up and be counted. As your leader, I have decided I will convene a dialogue so that we address this matter because Machakos is bigger than all of us. I will not grow tired of engaging you. It is bad for Machakos residents to suffer because of you,” said Wavinya.
The governor took issue with the budget and house business committees, accusing them of being used by external political forces to frustrate her government’s agenda to empower the people of Machakos.
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“I have always engaged the county assembly leadership on various matters and agreed upon issues. All I need them to do is to be sincere and truthful. The budget we forwarded to the assembly reflected the wishes of the citizens, not my wishes or the wishes of my deputy,” Wavinya said.
The governor dismissed as misleading claims by a section of MCAs during yesterday’s assembly proceedings that various departments such as Water were allocated zero budget in the current estimates. She also dismissed claims that pending bills as of June 2026 amounted to Ksh 7.5 billion.
“The total amount of pending bills payable as at June 30, 2026 was Ksh 4.6 billion, this included Ksh 1.6 billion in staff salaries for April, May and June 2026 arising from the failure to approve the supplementary budget by the county assembly. The budgeted amount for pending bills for Financial Year 2026/27 is Ksh 858 million and not Ksh 270 million as stated in the erroneous interpretation of the submitted Appropriation Bill. The outstanding pending bills will be settled through a first charge arrangement,” said the governor.
The governor noted that some of the amendments to her budget proposals by the county assembly committee on budget infringed on existing legal and contractual obligations of the executive, alleging sabotage on the part of MCAs.
“To weaponise the budget process against the very citizens who elected you is not only an abdication of legislative duty but also a reckless betrayal of public trust. You are punishing the people of Machakos unfairly. I wonder how your conscience lets you sleep in peace when you know the kind of suffering you are deliberately inflicting on the people,” she said.
By Stephen Muthini
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