Kitui County Assembly Speaker Kevin Kinengo over the weekend launched a blistering attack on Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka, accusing him of political hypocrisy and portraying himself as an anti-corruption crusader while allegedly remaining silent on accountability concerns involving leaders within his own political backyard.
Speaking during a thanksgiving and housewarming ceremony hosted by Kithumula-Mutonga MCA Paul Maluki in Syomuitu, Kinengo challenged Kalonzo to first confront alleged misuse of public funds in Kitui before criticizing President William Ruto’s administration over corruption.
In remarks that drew loud cheers from sections of the crowd, the Speaker accused opposition leaders of “preaching water while drinking wine,” saying the fight against corruption must begin at home.
“Charity begins at home. Before lecturing President Ruto about corruption and misuse of public funds, leaders should first address what is happening here in Kitui,” Kinengo said.
The Speaker’s comments came as he intensified his ongoing battle with Governor Julius Malombe’s administration over the controversial Supplementary Budget II and the 2026/27 Budget Estimates, which he insists fail to meet legal and fiscal requirements.
“I Don’t Fear You, Malombe”
In a direct and unusually personal challenge to Governor Malombe, Kinengo declared that he would not be intimidated into approving what he termed an illegal budget.
“I don’t fear you Governor Malombe. You may be my senior politically, but I am the Speaker of the County Assembly. We are not cowards and I will not commit an illegal budget,” he said.
Kinengo accused the County Executive of attempting to use pressure, influence and intimidation to force MCAs into approving budget proposals that he believes violate established public finance laws.
Billions Under Scrutiny
The Speaker also raised fresh questions over several county expenditures, claiming that huge sums of money remain inadequately explained.
Among the issues he cited were an alleged KSh1.23 billion in recurrent expenditure that he says cannot be properly accounted for, KSh41 million allegedly spent on an agricultural show that never took place, KSh31 million reportedly allocated to a Governor’s Cup tournament whose expenditure has been questioned, and a proposed KSh381 million allocation to the Governor’s Office for hospitality-related activities.
According to Kinengo, the Assembly cannot approve further spending before satisfactory explanations are provided to taxpayers.
Budget or Political War Chest?
In one of his most explosive claims, the Speaker alleged that there was a rush to pass the disputed budget because some individuals wanted access to public funds ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He claimed the Assembly had received information suggesting that the supplementary and main budgets were being used to create room for political spending.
“We will not allow public money to be used to fund politics,” Kinengo declared.
Standoff Deepens
The remarks come amid a deepening standoff between the County Assembly and Governor Malombe’s administration over the passage of key budget documents.
Kinengo has maintained that the Executive’s proposals contain major deviations that exceed allowable thresholds and therefore cannot be processed in their current form.
The Executive, however, has argued that delays in approving the budget could affect county operations and development programmes.
But as the confrontation escalates, Kinengo appears unwilling to retreat.
By directly calling out both Governor Malombe and Kalonzo Musyoka, the Speaker has transformed what began as a budget dispute into a major political showdown that could have far-reaching implications for Kitui politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
