Kitui Governor, Julius Malombe, addressing the media at a Mombasa hotel last Friday. He is with the Kitui County Assembly minority leader, Alex Nganga and Deputy Governor Augustine Kanani/Musembi Nzengu.Kitui Governor Julius Malombe and MCAs have pledged to allocate more funding towards completion of health, water and road networks.
A joint communique from a consultative retreat between the executive and the county assembly said the two arms made the resolution to improve the lives of residents.
“In the road sector, we will open, grade and gravel more roads, while in water, we will endeavor to reduce the distance to access points to a maximum of two kilometres,” it said.
On health and sanitation, the focus
will be on ensuring each of the county’s 247 villages gets a health facility by
operationalising the remaining 34.
The retreat also reviewed the county government’s three-year record under the 16-point Kitui Promise agenda and highlighted gaps in implementation.
According to the communiqué, 2,244 projects
have been carried out across all 16 sectors in all 247 villages and 40 wards.
In roads, 928km have been
opened since August 2022. Each ward has seen an average of 58.12km of
annual grading, while 77.1km were graveled. In addition, 58 concrete
drifts and 119 slabs were built.
The communiqué noted
significant progress in healthcare, with 311 facilities now operational. These
include 14 hospitals, 54 health centres and 243 dispensaries.
“Kitui County Referral Hospital has
added an outpatient block, an Intensive Care Unit, a High Dependency Unit, a 70-bed
newborn unit, an oxygen plant, dialysis expansion and a modern mortuary,” the
report said.
The Phangisile Mtshali Cancer Centre
has also been established, serving 4,860 patients so far, while the Haemophilia
Clinic has treated 14 patients.
In water, the county reported a
shift from scarcity to sustainable access with 316 sand dams serving 16,000
households, 18 on-farm ponds and 20 desilted medium dams. Access has been
further expanded through 18 sump wells, 23 new boreholes, 132 rehabilitated
boreholes and 123km of pipeline.
The Kangu Kangu Water Supply
Project, valued at Sh432 million, has been completed and will serve 60,000
residents in Kitui South and parts of Kitui Rural.
Other upcoming projects include the Kitui Agricultural Show and Trade Fair scheduled for February 26–28 next year and the launch of the Kitui Tourism Circuit on September 27, 2025.
Instant analysis
The deal between Governor Malombe and Kitui MCAs signals a rare show of unity that could accelerate service delivery in key sectors. By prioritiSing health, water, and roads, the county is directly addressing the most pressing needs of its residents. The pledge to operationaliSe 34 health facilities and expand road and water access is ambitious but aligns with Malombe’s 16-point agenda. However, the success of these commitments will depend on sustained funding and accountability in implementation. If realized, the projects could significantly improve livelihoods and strengthen the governor’s political capital ahead of future contests.
