The Kitui County Government has postponed the Kitui County Governor’s Cup County Finals from August 21–23, 2026, to December 4–6, 2026, citing delays in the clearance of the county’s 2026/2027 budget.
The county government said the postponement has been necessitated by the unavailability of finances required to implement the tournament after the FY 2026/2027 Kitui County Budget was yet to be cleared by the Office of the Controller of Budget.
The revised finals will now be held from Friday, December 4, to Sunday, December 6, 2026.
According to the county government, the new dates will also provide an opportunity to utilize school facilities, particularly because some of the participating players are school-going students.
The county said the FY 2026/2027 budget estimates were submitted to the County Assembly on April 30, 2026, in compliance with Section 129(2)(a) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.
The estimates subsequently went through the legislative process, although the approval took longer than anticipated. The county budget was eventually passed by the County Assembly on July 29, 2026, instead of the expected June 30 deadline under Section 131 of the Act.
The County Government said the postponement will allow the necessary budgetary and financial processes to be completed before the tournament is implemented.
“The postponement is therefore necessary to allow the budgetary and financial processes to be completed and to ensure that the tournament is implemented effectively,” the county government said.
The administration also assured participating teams, football officials, Football Kenya Federation (FKF), partners and supporters that preparations for the tournament had been ongoing.
It apologized for the inconvenience caused by the change of dates, noting that some stakeholders had already made arrangements around the initial August dates.
All participating teams and stakeholders have been asked to take note of the new dates and continue with their preparations, with further details on the revised programme expected to be communicated later.
The county government reiterated its commitment to the Governor’s Cup, describing the tournament as an important platform for nurturing sporting talent, empowering young people, promoting social cohesion and strengthening community participation through sport.
The press brief was issued on August 18, 2026, by the County Government of Kitui through the Department of Culture, Gender, Youth, ICT, Sports and Social Services.
