By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT
Kitui County Deputy Governor Augustine Kanani has fumed and expressed disgust at a national media house in Kenya for harbouring a sinister agenda to besmirch the reputation of Governor Julius Malombe. Kanani rued that a recent story headlined some Kenyan governors living large showed Dr Malombe as among governors spending billions for luxury, was intended to cast aspersion on the budgeting and financial management in the county.
Kanani added that the media report that showed that Malombe’s office was allocated KSh. 2.4 billion largely for luxury was sensational and misleading. "It appeared to have a deliberately designed to besmirch the reputation and character of the governors featured in the story including our own governor,” lamented Kanani.
Kanani observed that the report wrongly painted a picture that governor Malombe was spending KSh. 2.4 billion in his office without going to the nitty gritties of what the entire budget entailed.
The Kitui Deputy County Governor said contrary to what he termed as wrong impression created in the article, nearly a billion shillings of the budget amount went to Clidp development projects in the villages while other monies went to staff salaries and medical insurance cover.
Kanani added that a balance of about KSh. 400 million does not go unaccounted but to staff allowances, office construction projects and insurance cover for motor vehicle, county property and assets.
The deputy governor spoke during a public participation forum for the Kitui County Government budget estimates for the financial year 2026/27 amounting to Sh. 14,025,020,148. Kanani said by holding the session, the County Government of Kitui adhered to the Constitution 2010 that emphasizes on openness and accountability including public participation in financial matters. “The County Government of Kitui recognizes that effective governance is built on inclusivity. Much the reason why we have convened this forum to gather your views and proposals and concerns regarding the draft budget,” he noted.
The Kitui Deputy Governor said the 2026/27 budget draft had been prioritized across various sectors with the aim of achieving equitable development, as well as enhancing service delivery to residents. He added the budget proposal had a timeline to be presented to the County Assembly of Kitui by April 30th, 2026.
Kanani said that in order to beat the deadline, the process had to be fast tracked and the estimations presented to the County Budget and Economic Forum for scrutiny before being deliberated on by the Kitui County Executive Committee.
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