A Senate Finance and Budget Committee delegation have put Kitui County Assembly on notice over the county’s ballooning pending bills, now standing at Ksh 1.6 billion.
The committee, led by Vice Chairperson Sen. Tabitha Mutinda, was welcomed by Speaker Kevin Kinengo Katisya and other Assembly leaders, engaged candidly on the financial mismanagement allegations plaguing the county. Speaker Kinengo lauded the Senate’s commitment to fiscal transparency and pledged closer collaboration to boost service delivery.
Sen. Mutinda minced no words, declaring, “We are here to fight this animal called pending bills—something that has really tortured our people.” She condemned the reported selective payments by the county executive, which Assembly members claimed unfairly favor connected contractors at the expense of genuine suppliers.
The Senate team raised concerns over corruption claims and pressed for accountability. They emphasized that counties must clean up procurement systems to restore public trust and ensure timely payments for completed work.
In a positive turn, the senators shared progress on the proposed Ward Development Fund, a legislation expected to decentralize development and guarantee equitable resource allocation at grassroots levels.
Other senators in attendance included Dr. Boni Khalwale (Kakamega), Faki Mwinyihaji (Mombasa), Richard Onyonka (Kisii), and Abdalla Shakila Mohamed (Nominated).
With both levels of government now seemingly aligned, Kitui’s financial transparency and development agenda may finally gain momentum—if promises made today are matched with action.
