Kitui County has scored above the national average in the latest County Budget Transparency Survey 2025, but the county continues to trail its Lower Eastern neighbours, Makueni and Machakos, in the race for fiscal openness and accountability.
The newly released survey shows that Kenya’s counties have made significant strides in opening up their financial records to public scrutiny over the past five years. The national transparency index rose sharply from 35 points in 2021 to 65 points in 2025, reflecting improved publication of budget documents and growing compliance with transparency requirements.
Despite posting a respectable score of 69 points and securing a ‘B’ grade, Kitui ranked third among the three Ukambani counties assessed in the survey.
Makueni emerged as the country’s top-performing county with an impressive score of 89 points, earning an ‘A’ grade and cementing its position as Kenya’s benchmark for budget transparency. Machakos followed with 74 points, leaving Kitui behind both of its regional counterparts despite outperforming the national average.
The findings place Lower Eastern Kenya among the country’s strongest-performing regions on matters of financial accountability, with all three counties scoring above the national average.
However, while Kitui’s overall score reflects notable progress, the survey identifies several areas where the county still lags behind its neighbours.
One of the most significant concerns is compliance with statutory publication timelines. According to the report, Kitui managed to publish only five of the ten key budget documents for the FY2024/25 budget cycle within the legally prescribed deadlines.
Although the county performed better than Machakos, which released only three documents on time, it still fell short of Makueni, which published seven documents within the required timelines.
Governance experts argue that timely publication of budget information is critical because it allows citizens, civil society groups and oversight agencies sufficient time to scrutinise public spending decisions before implementation.
The survey also points to a temporary setback in Kitui’s otherwise strong publication record. After publishing all ten key budget documents in both 2022 and 2023, the county slipped to eight documents in 2024 before recovering to a perfect score in 2025.
While the rebound demonstrates institutional resilience, analysts note that maintaining consistency remains essential if the county is to challenge the country’s top performers.
The report nevertheless acknowledges Kitui as one of the more reliable counties in the country when it comes to making budget information publicly available. Over the last five years, the county has maintained a largely consistent record of document publication, helping strengthen public access to information on county finances.
The latest findings come amid increasing public demand for transparency in the management of devolved funds, with citizens and watchdog groups pushing county governments to provide greater visibility into how public resources are allocated and spent.
For Kitui, the survey presents a mixed picture. The county has outperformed the national average and demonstrated a strong commitment to budget disclosure. Yet the rankings also highlight the challenge that remains: matching the pace set by neighbouring Makueni and Machakos and translating transparency commitments into consistently timely public disclosure.
As competition among counties shifts from development promises to measurable governance outcomes, the latest survey suggests Kitui has established a solid foundation—but still has work to do before it can claim a place among Kenya’s transparency leaders.
