Kitui County Assembly has continued with her oversight mandate , scrutinizing how the executive used funds allocated in the financial year 2023/2024.
The latest to appear before the County Assembly on Thursday, was County Executive Committee Member for Water and Irrigation Mr Peter Gitonga Nkunda and CO for Water Mr Nathan Kasamba Vungo who appeared before the Committee on Agriculture Water and Irrigation, to respond to a statement request by Hon. Benjamin Ndambu Mulandi of Mutonguni Ward .
The honorable County Assembly member had requested a statement from the said County Minstry on the proposed drilling of boreholes across the County in the Financial year 2023/2024 where some wards never got their share as propesed and funded in the said financial year.
Responding to the query Mr Peter Gitonga told the Committee that the money allocated to drill the boreholes was moved to pay KITWASCO and KIMWASCO electricity bills for water pumping. This affected the drilling programme.
The CECM was put to task by the Committee to explain the County government primary goal in achieving universal water coverage and improve clean and safe water access in Kitui County.
Mr Gitonga responded that in the financial year 2023/2024, the ministry completed the construction of 8 sub wells and 12 new boreholes and rehabilitated 17 earth dams and did the maintenance and cleaning of 17 boreholes as well as pipeline extension .
To ensure equitable distribution of resources the CECM for water was ordered by the Committee to priotize the wards where boreholes were not drilled in the previous year and give the areas first consideration in the financial year 2024/2025.