- Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti confronted Assembly officials after attempts to deliver her budget memorandum allegedly failed.
- Stephen Muthini reports that the governor has rejected amendments affecting key county programmes and services.
- The dispute deepens a budget stalemate over the county’s KSh17.797 billion spending plan.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti on Monday stormed the County Assembly protesting the refusal by the Assembly Clerk to receive the vellum and a memorandum returning the contentious 2026/2027 budget to the Assembly.
Accompanied by officials from the Department of Finance and journalists, Governor Wavinya entered the Assembly premises at 4pm and proceeded to the Clerk’s office, where she demanded to know why the Clerk had failed to receive the documents on two previous occasions.
The Governor said she had sent the Finance Director – Budget to deliver the documents on Friday and again on Monday morning, but the Clerk had not received them.
“You are the Clerk; it is only fair that you receive the documents and allow the Assembly to make the decision instead of gatekeeping,” a furious Governor Wavinya told the Clerk.
The Clerk tried to explain that the Director of Budget had brought the documents a few minutes past 5pm on Friday but was overruled by the Governor, who reminded him that the Assembly had played the same tricks on the issue of the Supplementary Budget.
“Just receive and stamp the documents and let the Assembly make their decision,” said Governor Wavinya.
She later addressed a crowd of people who had gathered outside the Assembly gates and explained why she had returned the budget.
Wavinya rejects Assembly amendments
In a detailed press statement on the referral of the Machakos County Appropriation Bill, 2026, Governor Wavinya said she had officially referred the Bill back to the Assembly for reconsideration under Section 24(2)(b) of the County Governments Act, 2012.
“This decision was not made lightly. However, as the custodian of executive authority in this county, I cannot in good conscience sign into law a legislation that openly violates statutory limits, dismantles essential public services, undermines our financial foundation, and directly imperils the lives and livelihoods of our people,” she said.
She noted that the County Assembly passed the Bill on August 18, 2026, and it was presented for assent on August 21, 2026.
According to the Governor, the Executive had submitted balanced Budget Estimates for 2026/2027 totalling KSh17.797 billion, as informed by ceilings in the 2026 County Fiscal Strategy Paper (CFSP).
Instead, the Assembly drastically altered items totalling KSh853.96 million, stripping funds from binding contracts, essential services and welfare programmes.
Some of the deductions include:
Sports – Governor’s Cup: Reduced by KSh40 million from KSh50.6 million to KSh10.6 million.
Education – Bursaries: Reduced by KSh30 million from KSh121.7 million to KSh91.7 million.
Machakos Youth Service: Entire KSh175,862,770 wiped to zero.
Lands – Municipalities (Machakos, Mavoko and Kangundo-Tala): Entire KSh78.3 million wiped to zero.
County Administration – Sub-County Offices: Reduced by KSh97 million from KSh112.7 million to KSh15.7 million.
Public Communication: Reduced by KSh40.5 million.
Revenue – Revenue Management: Entire KSh126,895,321 wiped to zero.
Gender – Wikwatyo Fund: Reduced by KSh100 million from KSh137 million to KSh37 million.
Gender – Empowerment of Women, Youth and Special Groups: Reduced by KSh100 million from KSh137 million to KSh37 million.
Roads – Major Roads: Reduced by KSh65.38 million from KSh396.6 million to KSh331.2 million.
Governor Wavinya said the Assembly violated Regulation 37(1) of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015, which provides that any increase or reduction must not exceed one per cent of that vote’s approved ceiling.
She accused the Assembly of increasing its own development budget by KSh130 million above the CFSP ceiling, extracting funds from Executive programmes in violation of Section 129 of the PFM Act, 2012.
Governor lists reasons for rejection
The Governor gave five reasons for rejecting the amendments made by the County Assembly.
First, she said the changes threatened infrastructure. The roads allocation was for ongoing tarmacking of Katangi-Kithimani Road, Mlolongo Phase 3-Gossip Road and Lita-Miti Muonza Road. Slashing KSh65.38 million, she said, would force work to stall, expose the county to breach-of-contract lawsuits and waste taxpayers’ money.
Second, she accused the Assembly of gutting solid waste management. The Assembly eliminated the entire KSh78.32 million for garbage collection in Machakos, Mavoko and Kangundo-Tala municipalities, redirecting it to allowances, conferences and fuel. This, she said, poses a risk of cholera, typhoid and water contamination, violating Articles 42 and 43 of the Constitution, despite residents paying refuse fees at 135 per cent of target.
Third, she said the Assembly was sabotaging the revenue system. Deleting KSh126.9 million for the Integrated County Revenue Management System threatens county financing. Governor Wavinya said Own Source Revenue rose from KSh1.55 billion in FY 2023/24 to KSh2.18 billion in 2024/25 and KSh3.352 billion in 2025/26 after system deployment. The 2026/27 budget relies on a KSh4.93 billion OSR target.
Fourth, she accused the Assembly of abandoning vulnerable groups by slashing KSh230 million from social safety nets, including the Wikwatyo Fund, Women/Youth Fund and bursaries. Stripping KSh30 million from bursaries sends needy children home, she said, violating Article 201(b)(i) on the protection of marginalised groups.
Fifth, she said the changes would cripple sub-county administration. The Assembly cut each sub-county’s budget by KSh9.67 million, leaving eight sub-counties with barely KSh565,048 each for the entire year – roughly KSh47,000 per month – making supervision of health centres and public participation impossible.
READ ALSO: 43 public universities approved for 2026/2027 government scholarships as KSh30.1 billion set aside
She termed the cumulative effect an “assault on the youth”, noting that the Machakos Youth Service, created under the Machakos Youth Empowerment Act, 2022 to deliver vocational skills and employment, was wiped out line by line.
Governor Wavinya warned that any public officer or MCA who votes to maintain the variances will assume personal legal liability under PFM laws.
She called on the leadership and members of the County Assembly to reconsider the Bill and pass a budget that serves all residents of Machakos.
“I cannot in good conscience sign into law a legislation that openly violates statutory limits,” she concluded.
By Stephen Muthini
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