Kitui residents have spoken out with alarm following a Senate County Public Accounts Committee session where Governor Julius Malombe appeared unaware of how many lorries ferry sand from the county’s rivers — a revelation that left locals questioning whether he was misinformed by his officials or genuinely out of touch with the scale of the trade on the ground.
Speaking exclusively to Channel 15 News along the Mwingi and Tiva riverbeds, residents on Wednesday, they described the reality they see daily: scores of trucks extracting sand from the county’s major seasonal rivers — including Tiva, Nzeeu, Mwitasyano, Mutendea, Tyaa, Nguutani, Enziu and Mwania — rivers that have been documented as severely affected by unregulated sand harvesting and environmental degradation.
“Every day we see trucks after trucks at Tiva and Kivou rivers. These waters are lifelines for us — now they are drying up,” a resident at Tiva River told Channel 15 News.
Along Mwingi’s Kivou River basin and the sprawling Tiva‑Nzeeu‑Mwitasyano river system, locals said they have watched riverbanks erode, water points dwindle and seasonal flows shrink — changes they attribute to relentless sand extraction.
“We know our land and our rivers better than any official in Nairobi,” said a community elder in Mwingi Central.
“The Governor says only a handful of lorries move sand. We see ten times more. It makes us wonder if he is being misadvised, or if the truth is being hidden from him.”
The County Director of Revenue told the Senate that between ten and twenty trucks ferry sand daily, each paying a cess of Sh5,000. Governor Malombe, when pressed, said the variations depend on weather conditions — sometimes as few as six trucks on rainy days.
But Kitui Senator Enock Wambua sharply disputed those figures, insisting at least 100 trucks move sand each day from Kitui’s rivers — a discrepancy that has triggered the Ethics and Anti‑Corruption Commission (EACC) probe.
Locals Call for Action — Not Just Oversight
Residents praised the Senate’s oversight role but said that oversight alone is not enough. They want the EACC to ensure the investigation goes beyond paper figures — to count trucks on the ground, trace where revenue actually goes, and hold accountable anyone found to be profiting from the sale of Kitui’s sand.
“These rivers are supposed to support our future — if they dry up, our children will pay the price,” a sand dam committee member in Kitui said, referring to ongoing efforts to sustain water tables in rivers like Kithyoko and others.
Local voices also questioned the County Treasury and finance officials, especially CEC Peter Mwikya Kilonzo, who heads the department responsible for reporting sand revenue. If the Governor was unaware of the scale of harvesting on rivers like Tiva and Nzeeu, residents argue, it raises serious concerns about internal reporting, transparency and accountability within the executive.
“If those tasked with protecting our rivers aren’t telling the truth — or don’t even know the truth — then who is protecting our resources?” another resident asked.
Governor Malombe has defended his administration, pointing to legal reforms under the Kitui County River Basins Sand Utilisation and Conservation Act, 2024 and establishment of sand harvesting cooperative societies. But for many residents along the Mwingi and Tiva rivers, the worry isn’t policy — it’s the visible disappearance of water and deteriorating riverbanks they encounter each day.
As the EACC begins its investigation, locals are clear: they want action, not just rhetoric, and they want the agency to go for the big fish and cartels that have made a business out of their rivers — before Kitui’s watercourses dry up entirely.
