Wavinya rejects Sh17.7bn Machakos budget, escalating clash with MCAs

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti storms the County Assembly demanding reconsideration of the 2026/2027 budget on August 31, 2026. [John Muia, Standard]

The push and pull in Machakos County budget politics pitting the county assembly against the executive is far from over after Governor Wavinya Ndeti declined to assent to the Machakos County Budget Appropriations Bill, 2026.

On Monday afternoon, Wavinya made an unannounced visit to the county assembly where she delivered the memorandum to the Clerk, Peter Mbatha, citing anomalies which she said were inconsistent with the law and interests of Machakos residents.

The governor claimed that MCAs, acting in bad faith and in the interest of political opponents, were hell-bent on frustrating her development agenda for Machakos.

“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,” said Wavinya.

At the centre of dispute in the Sh17.7 billion budget is Sh853.96 million allegedly altered by the Ward representatives, stripping funds from active binding contracts, essential services and welfare programmes.

Wavinya took issue with what she termed as the county assembly’s arbitrary interference with the proposed budget items by the executive, and the decision to increase its (assembly’s) development budget by Sh130 million in clear violation of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.

Among the major issues the governor flagged is the decision by the county assembly to slash Sh65.38 million from the allocation of Sh396.64 million earmarked for the ongoing tarmacking of various roads in Mavoko, Kathiani and Yatta sub-counties.

She said it was illegal for a county government to appropriate less than what is required to satisfy existing contractual commitments.

Wavinya also protested the MCAs’ decision to completely eliminate Sh72.32 million allocated under contracted professional services for garbage collection across the three municipalities of Mavoko, Machakos and Kangundo-Tala.

The Assembly completely eliminated the Sh78.32 million allocated under Contracted Professional Services for garbage collection across our three core urban centers: Machakos, Mavoko, and Kangundo-Tala Municipalities.

“The Assembly redirected the entire sum toward internal administrative overheads, including board allowances, committee conferences, seminars, fuel, and vehicle maintenance,” Wavinya noted in her memorandum seen by The Standard. 

MCAs also raided the governor’s budget allocation for the maintenance of the Integrated County Revenue Management System by completely deleting a whopping Sh126.9 million.

“This system is the backbone of our financial independence. Before its deployment, our own source revenue stood at Sh1.55 billion but upon its deployment, collections rose to Sh3.35 billion in the 2025/26 Financial Year,” the governor said.

Wavinya further noted that the 2026/2027 budget relies on a projected own-source revenue target of sh 4.93 billion and therefore defunding the very digital system that collects this revenue guarantees revenue shortfalls that will bankrupt every other program in the county.

The governor further protested the slashing of Sh230 million cumulative allocations for Wikwatyo Fund, Special Groups and Youth empowerment and County Bursary Fund.

Wavinya said the executive budgeted the funds to support vulnerable populations under the Machakos County Senior Citizens Act, the Machakos Youth Empowerment Act and the Bursary Fund Regulations.

The MCAs’ decision to completely remove Sh175.8 million allocated to Machakos Youth Service, which was one of Governor Wavinya’s pet projects, was perhaps the greatest blow.

“By reducing Sh175.86 million to zero while simultaneously cutting youth empowerment transfers by Sh100 million and bursaries by Sh30 million, the Assembly has effectively turned its back on the youth of this county,” said the governor.

She warned that MCAs or any public officer who votes to maintain the unlawful variances will assume personal legal liability under public finance management laws for any loss, illegal expenditure or contractual damages suffered by the County Government.