The political gridlock at the Kitui County Assembly took a new twist on Tuesday morning after the long-awaited Supplementary Budget II report for the 2024/2025 Financial Year was officially tabled—but conspicuously in the absence of embattled Speaker Kevin Kinengo.
Pursuant to Section 131(1) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, as read together with Standing Order No. 186(3), Hon. Godfrey Muthengi Ndagara (Tharaka Ward), a member of the County Budget and Appropriations Committee, laid the report on the Table of the Assembly during a morning sitting. He also gave a formal Notice of Motion for its consideration.
The session was chaired by Hon. Paul Maluki (Kithumula/Kwa Mutonga), stepping in for Speaker Kinengo, who was notably absent amid ongoing leadership wrangles that have paralyzed the Assembly’s key operations in recent weeks.
In a response to a local journalist in a WhatsApp group discussion late last night, Majority Leader Hon. Harrison Maluki, a Wiper MCA, confirmed that the Budget Committee had worked “tirelessly” over the weekend to finalize the Supplementary Budget II report and was ready for tabling.
“The committee has done its part. We are committed to ensuring that the county’s service delivery does not stall because of political noise,” Hon. Maluki stated.
The report is expected to unlock the delayed budgetary implementation and offer direction on the utilization of funds pending approval by the full house. MCAs and civil society actors alike have raised concerns over the slow legislative processing of critical financial documents, which has already caused delays in development programs.
