A digital platform designed to track and monitor development projects has revealed that Kitui county implemented 4,426 infrastructure projects during the five-year administration of former Governor Charity Ngilu.
The platform, developed under the World Bank-supported Kenya Devolution Support Programme II, also shows that the county completed 12,423 infrastructure projects worth Sh27.7 billion between the advent of devolution in 2013 and June 2025.
Data from the Kitui County Infrastructure Projects Dashboard indicates that 4,426 projects were implemented between 2017 and 2022 during Ngilu's tenure as governor.
According to the dashboard, 1,423 projects were completed during the 2017-18 financial year.
The budget for that year had been prepared under Governor Julius Malombe before he lost the 2017 governor election to Ngilu.
The dashboard further shows that fewer than 800 infrastructure projects were completed in each of the remaining four financial years under the Ngilu administration.
Specifically, 748 projects were implemented in the 2018-19 financial year, 780 in 2019-20, 745 in 2020-21 and 730 in 2021-22.
The platform also reveals that 3,948 infrastructure projects were completed during Malombe's first term in office between the 2013-14 and 2016-17 financial years.
After returning to office following the 2022 General Election, Malombe's administration had implemented a further 4,049 projects by the end of the 2024-25 financial year.
With one year remaining before the expiry of his second term in August 2027, that figure is expected to rise.
Speaking during the launch of the dashboard on June 24, Malombe described the platform as a major milestone in Kitui county's journey towards a more transparent, data-driven and accountable government.
He said the initiative not only strengthens public accountability but also preserves the county's development history by creating a permanent digital record of infrastructure investments.
"The platform ensures the story of Kitui county's collective progress is properly documented, archived and preserved for future generations," the governor said.
Malombe said making development information publicly accessible and verifiable enhances governance, improves service delivery and reduces opportunities for misinformation or claims about non-existent projects.
"The dashboard provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come since the advent of devolution and to demonstrate our commitment to open government and evidence-based decision-making," he said.
He added that the dashboard is not merely a technological innovation but also a governance tool that promotes transparency, accountability and institutional memory.
