Kitui Governor Dr. Julius Makau Malombe has unveiled a comprehensive four-year development scorecard detailing 2,931 projects implemented across all the 247 villages and 40 wards in the county since August 2022.
Speaking during the conclusion of the third Kitui County Executive Working Retreat held at PrideInn Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa, Governor Malombe said his administration had made significant progress under the “Kitui Promise” manifesto and the county’s 16-Point Agenda.
The retreat, themed “Vision to Legacy: Communicating the Four-Year Score Card and Achievements of the Kitui Promise,” brought together county executive officials to evaluate achievements, identify development gaps and plan for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Malombe said the county government had implemented projects across sectors including water, health, roads, education, agriculture, urban development, trade, energy and security.
According to the governor, the Water sector recorded the highest number of projects at 663, followed by Roads and Construction with 389, Health 388, Education 354 and Agriculture 109 projects.
Water Access Expanded
The governor highlighted the Kangukangu Water Supply Project as one of the county’s flagship achievements.
Implemented in partnership with World Vision Kenya at a cost of Kshs. 840 million, the project includes a 224-kilometre pipeline network and 52 water kiosks serving approximately 100,000 residents.
Malombe further revealed that the county had constructed 26 sump wells across all sub-counties, significantly improving water accessibility.
He said residents accessing clean water within a two-kilometre radius had increased from 39.8 percent in 2022 to 44.36 percent in 2025, while average walking distance to water points had reduced from six kilometres to four kilometres.
The administration has also established 39 cluster irrigation projects, built 398 sand dams and promoted solar-powered irrigation technologies.
Health Sector Transformation
In healthcare, the governor said his administration had strengthened community healthcare through the deployment of 2,470 Community Health Promoters equipped with smartphones, bicycles and medical kits.
Malombe noted that household visits by Community Health Promoters had risen from 649,818 to 1,222,442 while referrals increased from 15,510 to 50,822.
The governor also highlighted the operationalization of the Phangisile Mtshali Cancer Centre at the Kitui County Referral Hospital in November 2023.
The cancer centre has so far served more than 7,600 patients, reducing the need for residents to seek treatment in Nairobi and other referral hospitals.
Additionally, the county established a two-bed Intensive Care Unit and a one-bed High Dependency Unit at the referral hospital, while construction of the South Eastern Kenya Renal Centre is ongoing.
Education and Youth Empowerment
Under education, the governor announced that 1,688 ECDE teachers had been employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
The county has also disbursed Kshs. 244.8 million in bursaries benefiting 33,600 learners under the Pro-Poor Education Support Programme.
Further, the administration paid Kshs. 35.25 million to the National Industrial Training Authority examination programme for 7,050 vocational trainees.
Malombe said the county would postpone the construction of some MCA offices and instead prioritize education and roads projects.
“We will rearrange our county priorities by postponing the planned construction of some 16 MCA offices,” the governor stated.
Roads and Infrastructure
The governor said the county had graded 7,084.7 kilometres of roads, opened 1,017.75 kilometres of new rural roads and constructed several drifts, culverts and slabs to improve connectivity.
The county has also trained 4,000 local contractors in partnership with the National Construction Authority to improve local technical capacity.
Trade, Markets and Industrialization
On trade and investments, Malombe said construction of the Kitui County Aggregation and Industrial Park was currently 54 percent complete.
The Kshs. 500 million project is jointly funded by the county and national governments.
The county is also facilitating construction of 12 modern ESP markets valued at Kshs. 2.22 billion, expected to support over 7,200 traders once completed.
Before
Kakongo Market in Mwingi West and Kamuwongo Market in Mwingi North are already complete and awaiting handover.
Tourism and Sports Development
Malombe highlighted the launch of the Kitui Tourism Circuit in September 2025 to market the county’s tourism potential.
The circuit includes attractions such as Nzambani Rock, Mutomo Reptile Park and the South Kitui Game Reserve.
The governor also praised collaboration with the national government in constructing the ultra-modern 10,000-seater Ithookwe Stadium.
He said preparations were underway for the finals of the Governor’s Cup Football Tournament, which attracted 579 men’s teams and 105 women’s teams from all 247 villages.
Revenue Growth and Pending Bills County Secretary
The governor announced that the county’s own-source revenue had grown from Kshs. 361 million in the 2021/2022 financial year to Kshs. 996 million in FY 2024/2025, representing a 176 percent increase.
He further revealed that the county had inherited pending bills amounting to Kshs. 2.56 billion in 2022, out of which Kshs. 1.78 billion had already been settled.
Appeal to MCAs
Governor Malombe urged Members of the County Assembly to support the county executive’s proposal to defer construction of 40 MCA ward offices and redirect the funds towards roads, ECDE classrooms and vocational training infrastructure.
He said the county executive remained committed to constructing the MCA offices in the 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 financial years after addressing more urgent public needs.
The governor concluded by reaffirming his administration’s commitment to transformative and citizen-centered development aimed at improving livelihoods and expanding economic opportunities for the people of Kitui County.
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